Meghan Thomas (301) 734-3266
Jerry Redding (202) 720-6959
USDA ENFORCES NEW WOOD PACKAGING IMPORT REQUIREMENTS
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2005–The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today announced that it will enforce new requirements for wood packaging material (e.g., wooden pallets, boxes and crates) imported into the United States from other countries. These regulations were published in the Sept. 15, 2004, Federal Register and are effective Sept. 16, 2005.
The new requirements specify that wood packaging material be either heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and marked with an approved international logo, certifying that the wood packaging material has been appropriately treated. Wood packaging material imported without the international logo after Sept. 16 will be subject to re-exportation. Treatment or destruction of the noncompliant wood packaging material will not be permitted.
Interceptions of nonnative pests, associated with wood packaging material, at U.S. ports of entry are increasing. If left unchecked, pests imported with wood packaging material could cause significant economic damage to the agricultural and forest resources of the United States. To date, the costliest pest invasion associated with wood packaging material is the Asian longhorned beetle. The beetle, first discovered in New York City in 1996, in Chicago, Ill., in 1998 and in Jersey City, N.J., in 2002, has resulted in the removal of thousands of trees and cost the state and federal governments nearly $168 million by the end of 2004.
The new requirements are based on the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standards on wood packing materials, which prescribe globally accepted measures to be applied to wood packaging materials to reduce the risk of pest introductions via wood packaging material. The United States is one of 116 member countries adopting the international standards. The enforcement requirements in the United States will be conducted in accordance with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Operational guidelines which will become effective on Sept. 16, 2005. Details of the DHS CBP enforcement operation for wood packaging material may be obtained at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/wpm/import.html.
For any questions or concerns regarding the new requirements for wood packaging material, please call APHIS’ toll-free number at (866) 738-8197. International callers who may not have access to the toll-free number may call (301) 734-5346. This service will be active from Sept. 1, 2005, through Oct. 16, 2005, with options to extend this period reflective of the necessity and number of callers.
APHIS documents published in the Federal Register are available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.
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