WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/AUS/187 
5 September 2005 
 (05-3850) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  AUSTRALIA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  The Australian Government Departme nt of Agriculture, Fisheries and 
Forestry (DAFF)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Solid wood packaging material used in supporting, protecting or carrying break 
bulk and air cargo imported into Australia.  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
countries  
5. Title, language and number of p ages of the notified document:  Industry Notice: 
Expansion of Implementation of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures 
(ISPM) # 15:  Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade  
(ISPM 15) to Air and Break Bulk Cargo to  Cover All Wood Packing and Dunnage for 
Imports into Australia. (ava ilable in English, 1 page).  
6. Description of content:  Australia currently accepts wood packing for containerised cargo 
according to the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15: Guidelines for 
Regulating Wood Packing Material in International Trade (ISPM 15).  Australia now 
proposes to extend the adoption of ISPM 15 to cover all wood packing material and 
dunnage used in s upporting, protecting or carrying break bulk and air  cargo imported into 
Australia.   
For countries unable to comply with ISPM 15,  Australia will continue to accept packaging 
which meets existing AQIS requirements for cont ainerised cargo only.  In the event of non-
compliance with respect to wood packaging asso ciated with break bulk and air cargo, the 
timber will be treated, destroyed or re-exported.   Additionally, inspection will no longer be 
offered as an option for any imported wood pack ing and/or dunnage regardless of the mode 
of transport. 
In addition to the ISPM 15 measures, Aust ralia will maintain the following existing 
requirements: 
• freedom from bark; and 
• methyl bromide fumigation at 48 grams per cubic metre for 24 hours (not 16 hours) 
and the timber at time of treatment being no greater than 200mm in diameter in the 
smallest plane. 
Australia will re-evaluate its required treatment period of 24 hours after the findings of an 
international review of the methyl bromide treatment specified under the ISPM 15 standard 
have been released. G/SPS/N/AUS/187 
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 7. Objective and rationale: [    ] food safety,  [    ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [    ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests   
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [ X ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [   ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  International Standard for Phytosanitary 
Measures No.15:  Guidelines for Regulati ng Wood Packaging Material in International 
Trade.   Deviations as de scribed in 6 above.  
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  International 
Standards for Phytosanitary Measures Publication No. 15 - Guidelines for Regulating 
Wood Packaging Material in International Trade (ISPM 15) .  The full text of ISPM 15 is 
available in English at: 
http://www.ippc.int/servlet/BinaryDownloade rServlet/ISPM_15_English.pdf?filename=105
5161712885_ISPM15_e.pdf 
Notice to Industry No. 7/2005-06:  Expansion of Implementation of the International 
Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) # 15:  Guidelines for Regulating Wood 
Packaging Material in International Trade  (ISPM 15) to Air and Break Bulk Cargo to 
Cover All Wood Packing and Dunnage for Impor ts into Australia. This document may be 
accessed at: http://www.aqis.gov.au/iian 
Australia's existing import requirements for so lid wood packaging mate rial are outlined in 
the Cargo Containers: Quarantine Aspects a nd Procedures document.  AQIS approved non 
permanent treatments for wood packaging materi al is described in Appendix II of this 
document.  This document may be accessed at: http://www.aqis.gov.au/cargoqap  
10. Proposed date of adoption:  1 January 2006  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  1 January 2006  
12. Final date for comments:  7 October 2005  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [  X ] National notification 
authority, [    ] National enquiry point, or add ress, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
The Australian SPS Notification Point 
GPO Box 858 
CANBERRA ACT 2601 
Fax:  + (612) 6272 3678 Email/Internet:  sps. contact@daff.gov.au 
Website:  http://www.daff.gov.au   G/SPS/N/AUS/187 
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 13. Texts available from:  [    ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
The Australian SPS Notification Point 
GPO Box 858 CANBERRA ACT 2601 
Fax:  + (612) 6272 3678 
Email/Internet:  sps. contact@daff.gov.au 
Website:  http://www.daff.gov.au