EUROPA - Plant Health - Harmful Organisms

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EUROPA European Commission DG Health and Consumers Overview Plant Health

Plant ProtectionHarmful OrganismsProperty RightsGenetic ResourcesSeeds and Plant Propagating MaterialGM Plants & Seeds

Harmful Organisms - Third Country Imports - Special Issues

Commission Staff Working Document concerning the control of pine wood nematode in the forestry sector in the European Union - Roadmap for a renewned strategy

Requirements for wood packaging material

Commission Directive 2004/102/EC as amended by Council Directive 2005/15/EC introduces new requirements for the import of wood packaging material and for dunnage into the EU from 1 March 2005 onwards.

The measures align Community measures with the FAO International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No 15 on "Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade" which was adopted in March 2002. This Standard provides for the wood packaging material to be treated and to be marked. The Standard also mentions that countries can require that the material be made from debarked round wood, if there is technical justification for this.

Wood packaging material

The technical requirements for wood packaging material include:

a heat treatment or fumigation with methyl bromide
be made from debarked wood
be marked with 3 codes (country, producer and measure applied) and the IPPC logo.

As a transitional measure for packaging material existing already before 1 March 2005, the mark consisting of the 3 codes only (without IPPC logo) is accepted until the end of 2007.

The debarking requirement is postponed until 1 January 2009 (Commission Directive 2006/14/EC). See e-News.

An overview of EU rules on wood packaging material

Dunnage

The technical requirements are identical and the mark with the 3 codes and the IPPC logo is required. As a transitional measure, dunnage made from bark free wood that is free from pests and signs of live pests is accepted until December 2007.

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