Criteria of Quarantine Imposed to Exported Wood Packaging Materials by Some Countries

     To hold forest resources harmless from hazardous foreign species, most of the countries in the world employed a complete set of rigorous measures of inspection and quarantine for imported wood packaging materials. However, some domestic companies and agencies are not fully aware of the significance of the issue. In order to clear custom smoothly and avoid any unnecessary loss, the requirements of quarantine imposed to imported wood packaging materials by some countries are as follows:

1. How to define wood packaging

       Wood packaging refers to the wood materials aimed to pack, support, mat, and enforce goods, e.g. wood box, wood board box, wood pallet, mat for warehouse, wood shuttle, wood crosstie, wood lining board, wood shaft, and wood sickle etc.   

2. Quarantine and Disposal Measures Imposed by Some Countries

      USA and Canada issued a decree in October in 1998 prohibiting Anoplophora glabripennis to enter their countries, in which detailed quarantine and disposal measures are rigorously stipulated. Effective since December 17 1998, the decree clearly states that all packaging materials must be, prior to export, gone through the heat treatment, steaming or anticorrosive processes recognized by the Unites States, in addition a certificate issued by the relevant entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency must show the batch of wood packaging materials has been inspected and treated in compliance with proper procedures. Accordingly, “Disposed in China” can be marked on the wood packaging materials.  Since March 18 2002, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USA) doesn’t recognize the steaming treatment in an environment whose temperature is lower than 5 ° C. The United States doesn’t impose the requirements mentioned above to artificial compound materials or deeply processed packaging materials e.g. veneer and fiber board etc.   

      As early as May 1 1995, the Australian government drafted the following rules and regulations: all wood products (including deeply processed wood products e.g. veneer) must be treated by means of steaming prior to exporting to the country. Nevertheless, all goods with wood packaging must apply to the relevant entry-exit inspection and quarantine agency for a steaming certification before export. 

      Brazil issued a decree on November 3 1999 prohibiting Anoplophora glabripennis to enter the country. Effective from January 3, 2000, the decree states that goods with wood packaging materials imported from China, USA, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea must be inspected, the detailed measures are as follows: all goods with wood packaging materials from those countries mentioned above must apply to the relevant entry-exit inspection and quarantine agencies for authorized certificates in an attempt to demonstrate that the wood packaging materials have been treated by means of heat treatment, steaming, and other proper procedures prior to exporting to the country. 

       EU, preventing from pine wood nemotade, adopted a series of urgent measures of inspection and quarantine imposed to the conifer packaging materials from Canada, Japan, USA, and China since October 1 2001, the detailed measures are as follows: goods using conifer timber packaging materials from the pine wood nemotade infected areas must be treated prior to export, in addition certificate issued from the relevant entry-exit inspection and quarantine must be acquired. For goods using non-conifer timber packaging materials, no tree bark and worm holes with a diameter of more than 3 mm are a must. EU covers France, Briton, Germany, Nerthland, Itlay, Span, Belgium, Luxemburg, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, and Finland.    

New Zealand has the same requirements as that of Australia.  

      According to the requirements of the markets, i.e. USA, Canada, and most of European countries pointed out the steaming treatment for wood packaging materials, the company kicked off new generation of pallet, featuring high strength, good appearance, and non-steaming, which can directly clear customs among the countries. The product creates great convenience for the wood packaging materials of the import and export enterprises.

Characteristics: 
I.    Non-steaming 

II.   Glue meeting the standards of environmental protection required by the European countries