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New
Regulatory Requirement in the
European Union
Affecting all
U.S.
Exporters
Using Wood Packing
Material as of October 1, 2001
In the September issue of
AgExporter, a USDA
publication, the Animal Plant
and Health Inspection Service
(AHPIS) alerted U.S. exporters
using wood packing material
(such as crates, boxes,
pallets) that the deadline for
the European Commission’s
emergency measures is
imminent. This advisory
summarizes information
provided in the article.
The European Commission has
adopted emergency measures
requiring the treatment and
marking of all new and used
coniferous (e.g. pine, spruce,
fir) non-manufactured wood
packing material (NMWP)
originating in the United
States, Canada, China or Japan
beginning October 1, 2001, to
prevent the introduction of
the pinewood nematode. The
decision covers three
treatment methods: heat
treatment, fumigation and
chemical pressure
impregnation.
Work is currently underway
in the United States to set up
a program to meet the measures
adopted by the EU Commission.
Of the methods of
pest-elimination that are
acceptable to the Commission,
the United States has settled
on the "heat-treated or
kiln-dried" mitigation
method to eliminate the pest
on NMWP.
The American Lumber
Standard Committee (ALSC), at
the request of USDA’s Animal
and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS), has agreed to
develop and oversee the U.S.
program. The program will
require on-site inspections of
NMWP manufacturing facilities
to verify compliance. They
will be conducted by
inspection agencies that are
accredited by ALSC.
For more information,
please visit the following
website: www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/wpm/export/eu.html
or http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/wpm/export/treatment-programs.html or
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/wpm/export/treatment-programs.html
Similar regulations are
required in:
For more informaiton on
requirements by country,
please visit the following
website:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/
Date
Updated: March 27, 2007
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