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European Union Standards



 

UPDATE:  Effective March 1, 2005 the European Union will be implementing the ISPM15 regulations, however they will be delaying their debarking requirement until March 1, 2006, so they can further study the need for a debarking requirement.

 

UPDATE: Effective March 1, 2005 the European Union requires all newly assembled, repaired, or recycled unprocessed raw wood packaging materials (hardwood and softwood) entering the EU to be either heat treated or fumigated and officially marked under ISPM15. In addition all wood packaging material is required to be debarked and marked DB. However, due to continuing issues surrounding the EU debarking requirement U.S. wood packaging materials will not contain the DB symbol.

Hardwood and softwood dunnage is required to be either heat treated or fumigated and officially marked under ISPM15 OR if not treated and marked be bark free and free from signs of live pests. After December 31, 2007 all dunnage will be required to be treated and officially marked under ISPM15. Wood packaging materials including pressure or combination thereof (ie Oriented Strand Board, plywood, etc) are exempt from treatment  and marking.

UPDATE: European Commission has ruled that all EU nations will implement ISPM 15 beginning March 1, 2005. (October 5, 2004 published ruling)  The March 1, 2005 requirement also requires that the wood that is used for wood packaging material be "debarked."  The United States and other countries so not support debarking or bark free standards, because they have no scientific justification.  There is currently a request to the Commission to suspend the "debarked" part of their standard until March 1, 2006, so that there is adequate time to address the issue.  The hearing will be held on February 28th to make this determination (the day before the rules are to be implemented and enforced).  We will post on that date their ruling to this website.

The FAO Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms defines "debarking as the removal of bark from round wood, but debarking does not necessarily make the wood bark-free.  Bark-free is defined as wood from which all bark excluding the vascular cambium, ingrown bark around knots, and bark pockets between rings of annual growth has to be removed.

Who are the European Union (EU) countries?