Voluntary Report - public distribution

**Date:** 9/21/2005

**GAIN Report Number:** RS5067

RS5067

**Russian Federation**

**Trade Policy Monitoring**

**Ministry of Agriculture Publishes ISPM-15**

**2005**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Allan Mustard

American Embassy, Moscow

**Prepared by:**

Erik Hansen

**Report Highlights:**

The Ministry of Agriculture recently added the International Plant
Protection Convention ISPM-15 (International Standards for Phytosanitary
Measures-15) \"Guidelines for regulating wood packing material in
international trade\" to its website. At present the Russian Federation
entity that confirms such compliance and assigns the registration number
is Rosgoskarantin (Russian State Quarantine) and its affiliates. In the
future, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary
Surveillance (VPSS) and its territorial bodies will carry out this
function. A translation of the web page is included in this report.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Moscow \[RS1\]

\[RS\]

**Translation of Ministry of Agriculture Web Page Regarding ISPM-15**

# 

# Information On Phytosanitary Measures Which Are Being Introduced In Countries All Over The World With Respect To Wood Packing And Fixing (Fastening) Materials That Are Brought Into Their Territories 

A number of countries are introducing phytosanitary measures envisioned
by the ISPM-15 (International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures-15)
"Guidelines for regulating wood packing material in international
trade".

To comply with these measures wood and fixing packing material (pallets,
boxes, cases, blocks, drums, reels, framings, shoring, brackets, bearing
poles) that are used to relocate consignments when carrying out
international trade transactions, must be subjected either to heat
treatment reaching the temperature of +56 С in the entire thickness of
the wood (this temperature mode should last for more than 30 minutes) or
to machine drying in special chambers (kiln drying) with the moisture
content not to exceed 20%, or by decontamination by the fumigation
technique using methyl bromide.

To confirm that such decontamination took place special markings are
applied on wood packing and wood fixture material.

Organizations that perform decontamination of wood packing and wood
fixture material are to confirm compliance between technologies that
they are applying and technologies referred to in ISPM-15. Then they
receive an assigned number from the national quarantine and plant
protection service. This number is included in the marking sign, which
is applied on the wood packing and wood fixture material. In addition to
the above mentioned number, the marking sign must contain the country
code as well as abbreviated name of the decontamination technique used:
HT (heat treatment), KD (kiln drying) or MB (fumigation by methyl
bromide).

At present the Russian Federation entity that confirms such compliance
(and assigns the registration number) is Rosgoskarantin and its
affiliates -- the Federal inspections on the plant quarantine in the
subjects of the Federation. In the future VPSS and its territorial
bodies will carry out this function.

The wood packing and wood fixture material with markings may be freely
handled for the purposes of international trade without additional
phytosanitary control. In case such markings are missing, the wood
packing and wood fixture material can be refused by the countries that
have adopted the phytosanitary measures in question, or they can be
accepted upon the results of the phytosanitary control. India introduced
such measures from 11/1/04; USA, Canada and Mexico are planning to
introduce them as of 9/16/05, the European Union countries -- from
3/1/05 (Directive №102/2004/ЕС of the European Community Commission
concerning protective measures against penetrating and spreading in the
Community of organisms, which are harmful to the plants and plant
produce).

Taking into consideration that the above-mentioned phytosanitary
measures are being introduced for the first time, many countries have
come across difficulties when they use the requirements of this
Standard. In connection with this, on the initiative of the Russian
Federation, the European and Mediterranean regional organization on
quarantine and plant protection, which was established in compliance
with the International Convention on Plant Protection and Quarantine,
conducted a special conference in Saint Petersburg on December 6-8,
2005.

Representatives of the Federal plant quarantine and protection services
from 18 countries participated in this conference (Russia, Ukraine,
Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark,
Holland, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy,
France), as well as the Secretariat of the International Plant
Protection Convention B. Larson.

Participants of the conference exchanged their experiences on how to
implement phytosanitary measures envisioned by ISPM-15 in their
respective countries.

Many countries make extensive use of the heat treatment and kiln drying
technologies, which are in compliance with the above mentioned regimes.
As for the methyl bromide fumigation method -- it has a limited
application; it cannot be used in a number of countries because its
application has been banned.

<http://www.mcx.ru/index.html?he_id=900&doc_id=6044>