. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/AUS/164 
21 June 2004 
 (04-2684) 
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 Governme nt Department of Agri culture, Fisheries and 
Forestry (DAFF)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(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 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 pages of the notified document:   Industry Notice: 
Proposed changes to AQIS import requirements for wood packaging under ISPM 15: 
Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packing Material in International Trade.  (available in 
English, 2 pages). 
6. Description of content:  Australia proposes to adopt the International Standard for 
Phytosanitary Measures No. 15: Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packing Material in 
International Trade (ISPM 15).  Australia has regulated standards for wood packaging 
material and dunnage for many years, and, intends to incorporate the provisions of ISPM 15 into Australia's existing measures fo r wood packaging material and dunnage.  In 
addition to the ISPM 15 measures, Austra lia 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. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [   ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or  disease, [   ] protec t territory from other 
damage from pests G/SPS/N/AUS/164 
Page 2  
 
 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. 
Australia's existing import conditions for soli d wood packaging material and dunnage will 
continue to be offered in parallel to the pr oposed import conditions incorporating ISPM 15.  
This will ensure continued market access to Australia for countries not in a position to 
implement ISPM 15. 
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  International 
Standards for Phytosanitary Measures Pub lication 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=10
55161712885_ISPM15_e.pdf  
Notice to Industry No. 19: Proposed changes to AQIS import requirements for wood 
packaging material under ISPM 15:  Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material 
in International Trade.  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 are 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 September 2004 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   1 September 2004 
12. Final date for comments:  16 August 2004 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [   ] 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  
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notificati on 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