WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/556 
22 March 2005 
 (05-1217) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
IMPLEMENTATION OF ISPM 15 FROM 1 MARCH 2005:  NEW REQUIREMENTS  
FOR THE IMPORT OF WOOD PACKAGING MATERIAL AND DUNNAGE  
FOR A BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST THE INTRODUCTION  
OF PESTS OR DISEASES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 
 
Communication from the European Communities  
 
 
 The following communication, dated 21 March 2005, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the European Communities. 
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Background 
 
1. The European Commission has adopted a legal text stepping up measures to protect the 
European Communities against the introduction of or ganism harmful to plan ts and plant products. 
2. The original proposal was notified to WTO tr ade partners in document G/SPS/N/EEC/221 
(10 November 2003).  Further to the comments rece ived from third countries, and with a view to 
facilitate the adoption of necessary measures, the European Commission proposed to delay for one 
year (until 1 March 2005) the enforcement of the me asures against the introduction into the European 
Communities of organisms harmful to plants or plan t products and against their spread within the 
European Communities in document G/SPS/N/EEC/221/Add.1 (13 May 2004). 
3. The proposal was adopted as " Commission Directive 2004/102/EC of 5 October 2004 
amending Annexes II, III, IV and V to Council Di rective 2000/29/EC on protective measures against 
the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against 
their spread within the Community  (Official Journal L 309, 6 Oct ober 2004, pages 9-25), and notified 
in G/SPS/N/EEC/221/Add.2 (14 October 2004).  The full text can be downl oaded from the address 
indicated below: 
English text:  http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/o j/dat/2004/l_309/l_309 20041006en00090025.pdf    
French text:  http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/fr/o j/dat/2004/l_309/l_309 20041006fr00090025.pdf    
Spanish text:  http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/es/o j/dat/2004/l_309/l_309 20041006es00090025.pdf    
4. In February, the European Commission consid ered appropriate to postpone the debarking 
requirement for one year, until March 2006 as notif ied in G/SPS/N/EEC/221/Add.3 of 2 March 2005. G/SPS/GEN/556 
Page 2  
 
 Aim of this document 
 
5. This general document aims to inform EC trad ing partners of the new import requirements for 
wood packing material and for dunnage im ported in the European Communities as from 
1 March 2005 onwards.  The European Communities emphasizes that this is a PAPERLESS system: 
conformity with the requirements is to be guara nteed in all cases (as well for fumigation as heat 
treatment) by the mark on the wood only.  Belo w are summarized the present conditions for wood 
packaging and dunnage.  See also Annex 1 for an extract from the relevant legal text. 
 
Wood packaging material 
 
6. The new requirements for wood packing material  have to be applied for goods arriving for 
import in all 25 EC member States from 1 March 2005 onwards. 
7. From that date, all new/repaired/recycled wood packaging material has to respond to the 
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS (undergone a heat treatme nt or fumigation with methyl bromide + 
made from debarked wood
1) and there has to be a MARK consisting of 3 codes (country, producer 
and measure applied) and the IPPC logo.  
8. As a transitional measure for packaging materi al already in use before 1 March 2005, the 
mark consisting of the 3 codes only (without th e IPPC logo) is accepted until the end of 2007. 
 
Dunnage  
 
9. Identical TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS and the co mplete MARK (3 codes + IPPC logo). 
10. As a transitional measure, dunnage made fro m bark-free wood that is free from pests and 
signs of live pests is accepted until 31 December 2007. 
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Note:   The general principles of the EC plant health regime are based upon provisions laid down in 
the International Plant Protection Convention conc luded at the United Nation Food and Agriculture 
Organisation and, in the World Trade Organisa tion Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures.  In order to meet the above aim, right s and obligations are placed upon EC member States 
to regulate the movement of plants or plant produ cts within their territory and to regulate the 
introduction of plants or plant products into the Community from third countries.  Some obligations 
also are placed upon third countries which want to export plants or plant products to the European Communities.  
For more information concerning the EC plant health regime established by Council Directive 
2000/29/EC, visit the following web sites: 
English: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/plant/organisms/index_en.htm
  
French: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/plant/organisms/index_fr.htm   
Spanish: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/plant/organisms/index_es.htm   
 
                                                      
 1 The debarking requirement is postponed until 1 March 2006 .  G/SPS/GEN/556 
 Page 3 
 
 
 ANNEX I  
 
Extracts from Council Directive 2000/29/ EC as amended by Dir. 2005/15/EC  
For wood packing material: 
Wood packaging material, in 
the form of packing cases, 
boxes, crates, drums and 
similar packings, pallets, box 
pallets and other load boards, pallet collars, actually in use in 
the transport of objects of all 
kinds, except raw wood of 6 mm thickness or less, and 
processed wood produced by 
glue, heat and pressure, or a combination thereof, coming 
from third countries, except 
Switzerland. The wood packaging material shall: 
- be made from debarked round wood, and 
- be subject to one of the approved meas ures as specified in Annex I to FAO 
International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No 15 on Guidelines for 
regulating wood packaging material in international trade , and 
- display a mark with 
(a) the two-letter ISO country code, a code identifying the producer and 
the code identifying the approved  measure applied to the wood 
packaging material in the mark as specified in Annex II to FAO 
International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 on 
Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade.  The letters "DB" shall be adde d to the abbreviation of the 
approved measure included in the said mark. 
and (b) in the case of wood packaging material manufactured, repaired or 
recycled as of  1 March 2005, also the logo as specified in Annex II to 
the said FAO Standard.  However the requirement is not applicable on a temporary basis until 31 December 2007  in the case of wood 
packaging material manufactured, repaired or recycled before 
8 February 2005. 
The first indent, requiring wood packaging material to be made from debarked 
wood, shall only apply from 1 March 2006. 
 
For dunnage:  
Wood used to wedge or 
support non-wood cargo, including that which has not 
kept its natural round surface, 
except raw wood of 6 mm thickness or less and processed 
wood produced by glue, heat 
and pressure, or a combination thereof, coming from third 
countries, except Switzerland
 The wood shall: 
(a) be made from debarked round wood and: 
- be subject to one of the approved measures as specified in Annex I to 
FAO International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 on 
Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade , and 
- display a mark with at least the two-letter ISO country code, a code 
identifying the producer and the code identifying the approved measure applied to the wood packaging materi al in the mark as specified in 
Annex II to FAO International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures 
No. 15 on Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in 
international trade .  The letters "DB" shall be added to the abbreviation 
of the approved measure included in the said mark. 
or on a temporary basis until 31 December 2007 : 
(b) be made from bark-free wood that is free from pests and signs of live pests. 
The first line of point (a), requiring wood packaging material to be made from 
debarked wood, shall only apply from 1 March 2006.
 
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