Since the Brexit and the independence of England, a lot has changed in exports. The Logitrans team is aware of this. Never heard of it or still have some questions? Feel free to read the article below and find out everything about the ISPM15 standard.
What has changed about exporting goods to the UK?
From 1 January 2021, all wooden pallets and wooden packaging moving between the UK and the EU will have to comply with international ISPM 15 standards by undergoing heat treatment and marking. The rules state that those moving goods outside the EU using wooden packaging must be heat treated and stamped.
The reason why the UK is introducing this standard is because these types of pallets reduce the risk of infestation by pests.
What is the ISP15 standard?
The ISPM15 standard is responsible for preventing the spread of plant diseases and pests through wooden packaging material. To prevent plant diseases and pests, a heat treatment (HT) and appropriate labelling are required on the pallet itself. This is visible in the photo below.
Heat treatment is currently considered the best way to bring wood into compliance with the ISPM 15 standard. Other treatments used in the past, such as chemical fumigation, have led to recalls in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of toxic chemicals. Chemical fumigation can also leave an unpleasant odour that can be a nuisance.
Heat treatment of pallets is not harmful, reduces moisture content and allows safe handling of pallets. Heat treatment of pallets (known as thermal fumigation) has many advantages, including:
- it is not harmful
- it reduces the moisture content in the pallet
- it allows secure processing
Rules
Under international rules, wooden pallets transported between the EU and the UK must comply with ISPM 15 standards. They must be heat treated at 56 degrees Celsius and have specific markings to confirm that they meet the legal requirements.
Timber treated according to the ISPM 15 requirements has the official IPPC mark. Examples of the mark are as follows:
The IPPC mark has the following characteristics:
- EN ISO country code
- 000 3-digit registration number of practitioner
- HT / DH Treatment method: Heat Treatment (HT), Dielectric Heating (DH) or Methyl Bromide (MB).
N.B. Methyl bromide (MB) fumigation has been banned as an alternative treatment in the EU as of 18 March 2010, due to a ban on the use of methyl bromide. In countries outside the EU, this treatment method is still used. This wood also complies with the ISPM 15 requirements.
The mark has a frame border. Within this frame border, the IPPC ear of corn and the code components are separated by a vertical line.
A hyphen separates the ISO country code from the unique 3-digit registration number of the registered company,
