Proposed Removal of the Exemption of ISPM No. 15 for Wood Packaging Material Moving Between the United States and Canada
(More news)The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are considering enforcing a standard for wood packaging to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species between the two countries. Canada and the U.S. are moving forward with consultations on the proposed removal of the exemption of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No. 15 on wood packaging material moving between Canada and the U.S.
Wood packaging imported to Canada is regulated under an international standard, ISPM No. 15, to prevent invasive species from being introduced into our country. This standard requires wood packaging to be heat-treated or fumigated and then marked to indicate that it has been treated. Wood packaging may also be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate that specifies the treatment used. Up until now, moving wood packaging between Canada and the continental United States has been exempted from this international standard.
With a growing number of invasive species being introduced into the two countries, CFIA and APHIS have jointly agreed to terminate the exemption and begin enforcing ISPM No. 15 for wood packaging material between the U.S. and Canada. This move will help to protect forests against invasive species and means Canadian wood packaging will have a place in the international marketplace where the standard is already enforced.
To allow sufficient time to adjust, the CFIA and APHIS are developing a strategy that involves a gradual multi-year phase-in period. Complete implementation of the ISPM No. 15 is expected by 2011.
Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, July 24, 2008
