Pallet Enterprise - European Union Further Delays Debarking Requirement by Chaille Brindley

For the full report go to Pallet Enterprise by Chaille Brindley

The European Union (EU) has voted to further delay the implementation of a debarking requirement for solid wood packaging until January 1, 2009 according to Roddie Burgess of the UK Forestry Commission. The EU has informally notified the U.S. government of its intent. Official notification should be published soon.

The EU is not abandoning its quest to include a debarking requirement in its phytosanitary standards for solid wood packing. It is just deciding to work through the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to attempt to change the international standard (ISPM-15) versus unilaterally imposing a debarking requirement. EU officials have already delayed a debarking requirement once to allow for more scientific evidence to be obtained. The recent vote means that people shipping solid wood packaging to the EU will not have to debark the material until the end of 2008 at the earliest.