PASSPORT FOR PALLETS
Subjecting shipments to stringent controls when they cross international boundaries takes place for a number of reasons, such as ensuring the correct duties are paid. In the case of wooden pallets and packaging, the most important tests are for plant health controls to ensure that forests in the destination country are protected from the potential migration of pests.
Forestry officials around the world are particularly concerned about the pinewood nematode and the Asian Longhorn Beetle (pictured), which is native to China but has found its way to Europe and North America.
To combat this threat, the International Plant Protection Convention developed an international sanitary measure (ISPM 15) that acts as a standard to ensure that a pallet, or other wooden packaging, has been heat treated or fumigated.
The responsibility for complying with ISPM 15 lies with the shipper. By conforming to the standard they are able to reduce delays, which can be costly, as well as help protect forests. All wooden cases and pallets are marked with a unique number that allows a booking clerk to trace where it has come from and verify it has complied with ISPM 15.
There are some 650 firms in the UK that are certified to heat the pallets - effectively cooking off the majority of pests - to meet the standard. "It's a real success story for the sector," says Timcon president John Dye. "And because our procedure has worked so well, several other European countries are copying it." |