ISPM 15 Phytosanitary
The UN FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) produced ISPM (International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures) No 15 - Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade, it was published in March 2002 and has been implemented by an increasing number of countries since then. The list 85i below regularly updates these.
IPPC international ISPM 15 Logo
On 5th October 2004 the European Union recognised ISPM 15 with Directive 2004/102/EC Protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community . It relates to phytosanitary control for incoming non-EU wood pallets and packaging (not traffic between EU and Switzerland).
However, discovery of the pinewood Nematode in Portugal has meant new EU requirements for coniferous wood and wood products being exported from Portugal. in Commission Decision 2008/954/EC dated 15 December 2008. From 17 December 2008 ALL (new, old, previously imported, or repaired) wood packaging material from Portugal, whether or not in use, must be heat treated and marked in accordance with ISPM 15, fumigation is not acceptable. Otherwise for wood pallets and packaging destined for other EU countries (download List 85i below) the only phytosanitary requirement is the absence of bark, wane and visible pests, though ultimately it is expected that implementation of ISPM 15 will be required between all EU countries as well. Requirements for Portugal were updated again in May 2009, see 85g below.
Q. Can I supply ISPM 15 heat treated timber to a non NPPO registered pallet or case maker and how many pieces need to be marked in each batch?
A. You would need to be wary of this request in case your customer is under the impression that he would be able to produce ISPM 15 compliant packaging using your mark. Even if you do supply heat treated (HT) timber he cannot make use of it. Only an NPPO registered pallet or case maker who is registered to apply the ISPM 15 HT mark can produce ISPM 15 heat treated pallets or cases using your HT timber. In the UK the NPPO is the Forestry Commission and the scheme is their "Wood Marking Programme". If you supply to a pallet or case maker who is registered to apply the ISPM 15 HT mark, either one or two pieces can be marked, otherwise the supplier's mark (yours) can be stamped on a label on the bundle which should not be loose, it must be banded or otherwise packed. It is good practice for the ISPM 15 heat treating company’s delivery note to record the bundle reference number and the fact that it is "heat treated to ISPM 15" for subsequent auditing purposes.
If you are involved with treating wood packing material (wpm) the Forestry Commission website is a useful source of information, if you require a list of companies accredited to carry out ISPM 15 treatment visit http://www.timcon.org/ISPM15/ISMP15List.asp
Easy reference list for country requirents - Datasheet 85i below lists every country that has adopted ISPM 15 and also includes information on countries which require treatment that differs from ISPM 15 or does not require ISPM 15 treatment. Note that official translations of ISPM 15 exist in Portuguese and French and some countries eg. Brazil use the Portuguese version NIMF 15 and the French version is NIMP 15.
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65c ISPM 15 - Phytosanitary Standard - full copy of IPPC document (PDF 89kb)85a ISPM 15 - PalletLink one page summary of the IPPC document (PDF 21kb)85b ISPM 15 - Phytosanitary standard - potential future new treatments (PDF 35kb)85e ISPM 15 - Customers requesting a certificate in addition to marking (PDF 23kb)85f ISPM 15 - Treated wood packaging imported into the EU reused in Europe (PDF 17kb)85g ISPM 15 - Portugal - New phytosanitary requirements 2009 (PDF 18kb)85h ISPM 15 - Australia - New requirements for imported plywood - June 2009 (PDF 18kb)85i ISPM 15 - LIST OF COUNTRIES that require ISPM 15 for imported WPM (PDF 45kb)98d Timber embrittlement through unusually high kiln temperatures (PDF 19kb)