26/09/05 Border Trade : Importers get extension on wood pallets (Louie Gilot)

Importers sweating the treatment requirements on wood-packing products, such as pallets, will get a reprieve. Even though the compliance deadline passed on Sept. 16, importers have until February to step into the fold, officials with Customs and Border Protection said.

The new rule, called International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, or ISPM15, by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says solid wood imports and exports have to be heat-treated or fumigated with methyl bromide to repel a pest called the Asian long-horned beetle. The treatments make wood pallets, a preferred packing method for the maquila industry, more costly.

The requirement will be enforced in three phases:

# Phase 1. No stoppage of shipments. Customs officers will warn importers.

# Phase 2. Beginning Feb. 1, enforcement of the ban on pallets and crates. Shipments containing untreated pallets or crates will be ordered exported if the port director determines that it is not feasible to separate merchandise. Importers won't be allowed to treat or dispose of the offending wood at the cargo facilities.

# Phase 3. Beginning July 5, enforcement of the ban on all wood products.

Export costs and all expenses incurred by customs officers separating cargo will be the responsibility of the importer.

Michael C. Mullen, director of trade relations for Customs and Border Protection, said he was pleased with "the attention the trade community has paid to this requirement and their understanding of the need to enforce it. While CBP has discretionary authority, it is imperative that companies comply with this rule. Noncompliant wood packaging materials pose a dangerous threat to the welfare of our agricultural industry."

Information: www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/commercial_enforcement/wpm.