ISPM 15

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A photo of the IPPC seal on a wine shipping crate IPPC from box.jpg
A photo of the IPPC seal on a wine shipping crate

International Standards For Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) is an International Phytosanitary Measure developed by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) that directly addresses the need to treat wood materials of a thickness greater than 6mm, used to ship products between countries. Its main purpose is to prevent the international transport and spread of disease and insects that could negatively affect plants or ecosystems. ISPM 15 affects all wood packaging material (pallets, crates, dunnages, etc.) and requires that they be debarked and then heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide, and stamped or branded [1] with a mark of compliance. This mark of compliance is colloquially known as the "wheat stamp". Products exempt from the ISPM 15 are made from an alternative material, like paper, plastic or wood panel products (i.e. OSB, hardboard, and plywood).

Contents

ISPM 15 revision

The Revision of ISPM No. 15 (2009) under Annex 1, [2] requires that wood used to manufacture ISPM 15 compliant Wood Packaging must be made from debarked wood [3] not to be confused with bark free wood. ISPM 15 was updated to adopt the bark restriction regulations proposed by the European Union in 2009. Australia held out for approximately one year with more stringent bark restrictions before conforming July 1, 2010 [4]

Debarked wood packaging

Wooden crate of clementines (mandarins) from Morocco, showing the ISPM 15 logo in the lower-left corner (MA for Morocco, from the French "Maroc") in 2010. ywsfy mGrby.jpg
Wooden crate of clementines (mandarins) from Morocco, showing the ISPM 15 logo in the lower-left corner (MA for Morocco, from the French "Maroc") in 2010.

Wood packaging materials must be debarked prior to being heat treated or fumigated to meet ISPM 15 regulations. The debarking component of the regulation is to prevent the re-infestation of insects while lumber is sitting to be manufactured, or even after it has been manufactured. The official definition for debarked lumber according to the ISPM 15 Revision (2009) is:

"Irrespective of the type of treatment applied, wood packaging material must be made of debarked wood. For this standard, any number of visually separate and clearly distinct small pieces of bark may remain if they are: - less than 3 cm in width (regardless of the length) or - greater than 3 cm in width, with the total surface area of an individual piece of bark less than 50 square cm."

Argument for bark removal

The post-treatment levels of infestation (with and without bark) compared with pre-treatment levels are as follows. Overall, from the studies presented there is either: a) no significant difference between infestation levels of treated and untreated wood; or b) differences identified are related to the species of insect which may prefer treated or untreated wood. Supporting information from a North American study (IFQRG 2005-27) is summarised in the Table below [5] (Data are numbers of beetles per cm2):

Bark SizeBark Beetle (Control)Bark Beetle (HT)Bark Borer (Control)Bark Borer (HT)
25 cm20.010.00350.01330.0064
100 cm20.0050.010.00860.015
100% Coverage0.00870.0120.01180.0137

ISPM Marking

Sample ISPM logo showing the MB for methyl bromide treatment of the wood. ISPM 15 logo US MB mark.jpg
Sample ISPM logo showing the MB for methyl bromide treatment of the wood.

The ISPM 15 compliant stamp may include further information as producers and suppliers may choose to include additional information for identification purposes.

Internationally accepted types of treatment

Exemptions from ISPM 15

Not all packaging material must be treated to qualify to be used as shipping or packaging material. Here is a list of materials which are not required to be treated and are exempt from ISPM 15 laws and regulations. [6]

Countries participating in ISPM 15

Although this is only a reference, confirmation with the export authority when exporting to another country is required. This is a complete list as of July 1, 2010.

Countries and their approximate ISPM 15 Adoption Date: [7] [ needs update ]


See also

Related Research Articles

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Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polypropylene</span> Thermoplastic polymer

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Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. Cargo was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transport by rail, van, truck, or intermodal container. The term cargo is also used in case of goods in the cold-chain, because the perishable inventory is always in transit towards a final end-use, even when it is held in cold storage or other similar climate-controlled facility. The term freight is commonly used to describe the movements of flows of goods being transported by any mode of transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Packaging and labeling</span> Enclosure or protection of products for distribution, storage, and sale

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fumigation</span> Pest control technique

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pallet</span> Flat structure to transport goods

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crate</span> Large shipping container

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Packaging machinery</span>

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References

  1. "Branding IPPC Tools". Archived from the original on 2014-07-12. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  2. "Revision of ISPM No. 15 Regulation of Wood Packaging Material in International Trade (2009)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  3. "Discussion of Debarked vs. Bark Free Wood".
  4. "Australia Announces its adoption of ISPM 15". Archived from the original on 27 June 2010.
  5. "Examination of Phytosanitary Issues related to Bark on Wood Packaging Material and ISPM 15 Treatments" (PDF).
  6. "ISPM 15 Pallets | ISPM 15 Wood | ISPM Pallets | Heat Treated".
  7. Government of Australia - Department of Agriculture and Water Resources ISPM15 - Country Implementation Dates

Further reading