ISLAMABAD, May 4: As a part of the Phytosanitary Rules, new requirements for wood packaging materials has entered into force from March that apply to all wood packaging materials imported into European Union (EU) from third country other than Switzerland. The purpose of this legislation is to prevent the introduction of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and their spread within EU. Because, wood packaging materials are considered plant products and can introduce and spread plant pests.

According to the Pakistan Horticulture Development Export Board, the requirements are laid down in Directive 2000/29/EC and are applicable to all wood packaging materials such as packing cases, boxes, crates, drums and similar packing, pallets, box pallets and other loader boards and pallet collars.

However, raw wood of 6mm thickness or less and processed wood produced with the use of glue, heat and pressure or combination of those have been exempted under Phytosanitary Rules.

Under the new requirements, wood packaging material shall be made from debarked round wood and be treated according to one of the approved methods as specified under the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standards called ISPM 15.

The standard methods also included heat treatment (HT) of the wood packaging material that achieves a minimum wood core temperature of 56 degrees Celsius for a minimum of 30 minutes or methyl bromide fumigation (MB) in alignment with requirement described in ISPM15.

Besides, a mark should be displayed with the two-letter ISO country code, a code identifying the procedure and the code identifying the approval measure applied (HT or MB). The letters “DB” shall be added to the abbreviation of the approved measure included in the said mark in order to indicate that the wood is debarked. In Pakistan the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) is dealing with the phytosanitary issues including the ISPM 15, which is the base of the EU rules.