COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
C0M(93) 228 final 
Brussels, 19 May 1993 
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Isa^^vv Proposal for a 
COUNCIL DECISION 
authorizing the Member States to provide for derogations from certain 
provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of wood conifers 
(Coniferales) other than of Thuja L., Pinus L. and mixtures with 
Pinus L., originating in Canada 
(presented by the Commission) 
^Y-
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
By Directive 77/93/EEC, the Council laid down protective measures against 
the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant 
products and against their spread within the Community. 
This proposal authorizes the Member States to provide for derogations from 
the heat-treatment requirements in respect of wood of conifers, other than 
that of Thuja L., Pinus L. and mixtures with Pinus L., originating in 
Canada for a limited period, in order to permit Canada to submit additional 
scientific information on species susceptibility to Pinewood nematode and 
its vectors. 
A similar draft for a Commission decision received an unfavourable opinion 
from the Standing Committee on Plant Health and the Commission's proposal 
for a Council Decision is made in implementation of the urgency procedure 
laid down in Article 17(4) of the said Directive. 
Following this procedure the Council may adopt the measures proposed by a 
qualified majority or reject them by a single majority within fifteen days. 
The draft Council Decision has no financial implications on the Community 
budget. 
The draft Council Decision would have little or no impact on small or 
medium-sized enterprises. 
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PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION 
of 
authorizing the Member States to provide for derogations from certain 
provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of wood conifers 
(Coniferales) other than of Thuja L., Pinus L. and mixtures with 
Pinus L., originating in Canada 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, 
Having regard to Council Directive 77/93/EEC of 21 December 1976 on 
protective measures againat the introduction into the Community of 
organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread 
within the "Community(*), as last amended by Directive 93/19/EEC(^), and 
in particular Article 14(3), second and third indents and Article 17 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the request made by Spain, 
Whereas under the provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, because of the risk of 
introducing harmful organisms, wood of conifers (Coniferales), except that 
of Thuja L., other than wood in the form of: 
chips, particles, wood waste, or scrap obtained in whole or part from 
these conifers, 
packing cases, crates of drums, 
- pallets, box pallets or other load boards, 
dunnage, spacers and bearers, 
(1) OJ No L 26, 31.01.1977, p. 20. 
(2) OJ No L 96, 22.04.1993, p. 33. 
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but including that which has not kr ot its natural round surface, 
originating in Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States of 
America may not be introduced into the Community, unless it has undergone 
an appropriate heat treatment to achieve a minimum wood core temperature of 
56°C for 30 minutes, and unless it is accompanied by the certificates 
prescribed in Articles 7 or 8 of the said Directive, being applicable as of 
1 June 1993; 
Whereas wood of conifers originating in Canada is currently introduced into 
the Community; whereas in the case of the said wood, phytosanitary 
certificates are not generally issued in that country; 
Whereas, it appears necessary for Canada to submit additional scientific 
information on species susceptibility to Pine wood nematode 
(Bursaphelenchus xylophilus); whereas this information should be based on a 
detailed survey to be carried out in Canadian forests; whereas it appears 
that this survey takes time; 
Whereas it appears justified to have a pb sed-in introduction of the heat 
treatment requirement in order to allow ?nada to submit the said 
information; whereas consequently the heat treatment requirement should not 
be applied before 1 June 1994 for wood of conifers, other than of Thuja L., 
Pinus L. and mixtures with Pinus L.; 
Whereas, in respect of Canada, the Commission has established, on the basis 
of the information supplied by Canada, that an officially approved and 
monitored programme of issuing "certificates of debarking and grub hole 
control" has been set up to ensure proper debarking and to reduce the risk 
from harmful organisms; whereas the risk of spreading harmful organisms is 
reduced provided that the wood is accompanied by a "Certificate of 
Debarking and Grub Hole Control" issued under that programme; 
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Whereas the Commission will ensure that Canada makes available all 
technical information necessary to assess the functioning of the Debarking 
and Grub Hole Control Certificate Programme; 
Whereas the Standing Committee on Plant Health has delivered an 
unfavourable opinion within the time limit set by its Chairman, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
1. The Member States are hereby authorized, to provide, under the 
conditions laid down in paragraph 2, for derogations from Article 5(1) 
and the third indent of Article 12(1)(a) of Directive 77/93/EEC, with 
regard to the requirements referred to in Annex IV, Part A, Section I, 
point 1.1 and also from Articles 7(2) and 12(1)(b) of Directive 
77/93/EEC for wood of conifers (Coniferales) other than of Thuja L., 
Pinus L. and mixtures with Pinus L., originating in Canada. 
2. The following conditions shall be satisfied: 
a) the wood shall be totally stripped of its bark by means of 
debarking, edging, grading and board selection and shall be free of 
grub holes. Bark is considered to be the external part of wood 
capable of sustaining live bark-inhabiting insects or other harmful 
organisms at any stage of development, but does not extend to: 
- inner bark (bast), 
- ingrown bark, in particular around knots, 
- bark or pitch pockets as defined in the National Grading rules 
for softwood dimension lumber. 
Grub holes are understood to mean insect bore-holes caused by wood-
borers of the genus Monochamus, and defined for this purpose as 
those which are larger than 3 mm across; 
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b) the fact that the requirements laid down under a) are satisfied 
shall have been checked by graders who are trained, qualified and 
authorized for that purpose under a programme approved and 
controlled by Agriculture Canada, Plant Protection Division; 
c) checks on compliance with the conditions laid down under a) shall 
have been undertaken at mills by industry inspectors or their agents 
qualified and authorized for that purpose by Agriculture Canada, 
Plant Protection Division. In addition, the checking system shall 
provide for inspectors of Agriculture Canada, Plant Protection 
Division, undertaking occasional pre-shipment inspections; 
d) the wood shall be accompanied by a "Certificate of Debarking and 
Grub Hole Control" which is standardized under the programme 
mentioned under b), and complies with the specimen given in the 
Annex to this Decision, and which is issued by an authorized person 
on behalf of mills to participate in that programme by Agriculture 
Canada, Plant Protection Division, and is filled in in accordance 
with the instructions set up under that programme. 
If the "Certificate of Debarking and Grub Hole Control" has been 
issued on behalf of a shipper, it shall be based on "Certificates of 
Debarking and Grub Hole Control" supplied to him by the approved 
mills, and/or as a result of inspections carried out under his 
responsibility. 
Article 2 
Without prejudice to the provisions laid down in Article 14(5) of Directive 
77/93/EEC, the Member States shall notify the Commission and the other 
Member States of all cases of consignments introduced pursuant to this 
Decision which do not comply with the conditions laid down under 
Article 1(2)(a) and (d). 
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Article 3 
The authorization granted in Article 1 shall apply from 1 June 1993 until 
31 May 1994 being the last date of entry in the Community. It shall be 
revoked earlier if it is established that the conditions laid down in 
Article 1(2) are not sufficient to prevent the introduction of harmful 
organisms or have not been complied with. 
Article 4 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
Done at Brussels, For the Council, 
.^/i^.--^"^^'^-.*^.:»^ -^:-m 
« CERTIFICATE OF DEBARKING AND GRUB 
HOLE CONTROL CERTIFICAT O'ÉCORÇAGE OU BOIS ET CONTRÔLE OES 
TROUS OE VERS 
Exporter (Name and address) 
Exportateur (nom et adresse) Import entry reference 
Référence d'entrée aux douanes 
VA****,"-':' 
Buyer Contract No 
N* du contrat de l'acheteur Certificate No / N° de certificat 
Date (of / d'inspection/certification) 
Lot No / N" du lot 
jConsignee^NameJand address) >{\"'^£tiM/^' 
Destinataire (nom*Vet adresse) • )t\ •. «N&H^i;^ Mill (Name and address) 
Scierie (nom et adresse) Mill No (agency logo / no) 
N* de scierie (logo de l'organisme / n* 
^''•^W^lT^-M 
Country of origin / Pays d'origine 
CANADA Ship name / Nom .du Navire 
-1<>;'1:••-• ••',••; ' -i-ké&'v-Country of destination / Pays destinataire 
:fwr, 'iPolnt^of ; loading'^lieu de chargement 
ii--i*m *&. Port'of/ewt / Portée départ <,'*^^,r3^>s nfs ^Port of destination / Port destinataire 
Description of consignment / Description du chargement 
Lr 
This document has been issued under the programme officially approved by 
Agriculture Canada, Plant Protection Division, and the products covered by 
this document are subject to occasional pre-shipment inspeaion by that 
agency, without financial liability to* it or its officers. 
This lumber has been examined by a miH inspector, shipper, or other 
authorized person and found to have been stripped of its bark and to be free 
of grub holes to conform to the best of their knowledge and belief with the 
import requirements of the receiving country. Ce document a été délivré en vertu du programme officiellement approuvé 
par la Division de la protection des végétaux d'Agriculture Canada. Les 
produits indiqués sur ce document peuvent être inspectés é l'occasion par cet 
organisme avant l'expédition sans qu'aucune responsabilité financière ne soit 
imputée a l'organisme ou é ses agents. 
Ce bois débité a été examiné par un inspecteur de scierie, expéditeur ou 
autre personne autorisée et est certifié avoir été écorcé pour se conformer, au 
meilleur de la connaissance de la personne susmentionnée, aux exigences du 
pays importateur en ce qui concerne fécorçage et la surveillance des trous de 
vers du bois importé. 
Authorized person responsible for certification - Personne autorisée responsable du certificat au nom de la scierie/de l'expéditeur 
Print / En majuscules and / et 
Signature date 
AGR 3809 (89/09) 
<D 
USE OF CERTIFICATE (AGR 3809) 
, © Shall only be issued by grading agencies, mills or shippers 
approved by Agriculture Canada 
• Shaded areas are for optional use of mill, agency or shipper, 
exporter or importing country. 
Exporter - for optional use of exporter. 
Consignee - for optional use of exporter. 
Import entry reference • for use by country to which document is 
directed. 
Contract No - the buyer contract number. 
Certificate No - refers to a number to be assigned by the 
authorized issuing mill/shipper/ 
agency. Each certificate must bear an individual number* so as to 
clearly identify each individual certificate. This is required by 
Agriculture Canada. 
Date of inspection/certification - refers to the date on which 
the inspection and certification occured. 
Lot No - refers to the mill lot number of the lumber. 
Mill - refers to the mill name or division and provides the address. 
This information may be pre-printed on to the certificate. 
Mill No (or Shipper No) - refers to*an approval number assigned 
by Agriculture Canada to approved participants in the program. To 
avoid confusion the number may correspond to mill numbers as 
provided by grading agencies. Only mill/shippers/agencies listed 
with and approved by Agriculture Canada may participate in the 
program. The mill number may be pre-printed on to the certificate. 
It consists of two parts, a grading agency logo and a number. 
Ship name - for optional use of exporter. 
Point of loading - for optional use of exporter. 
Port of exit - for optional use of exporter. 
Port of destination - for optional use of exporter. 
Country of origin - Canada. 
Country of destination - these certificates may only be used for 
lumber destined to countries who have approved their use. 
Description of consignment - must include information on the 
species, marks, grades, numbers of packages, lot or bundle 
numbers, volume and other appropriate descriptors. If space on 
the form is insufficient, attach additional pages, and indicate on 
face of certificate, in the 'Description of consignment' block the 
number of supplementary pages appended. These additional 
pages must bear the mill number, certificate number and 
signature. 
If an aggregated consignment is based on numerous certificates, 
list individual certificate numbers (i.e. mill numbers, certificate 
numbers and dates) on the single certificate describing the 
aggregated consignment. The individual certificates need not 
accompany the goods. This single certificate constitutes a 
re-certification. 
Name and signature - the name of the person responsible for the 
certificate program at the mill or for the shipper or the agency, 
shall print, or legibly write or type their name beside the signature 
block. The authorized accountable person for the 
mill/shipper/agency should sign the certificate. The signature 
indicates the lumber has been properly debarked, subjected to 
Monochamus grub hole control, inspected and meets the 
importing country's requirements. 
Disposition of certificate - the original • certificate must be 
presented to the competent authorities in the importing country 
when the lumber is landed, issuers must retain copies for their 
records and for auditing purposes by Agriculture Canada. 
Production/printing of certificate • approved participants must 
print their certificates exactly as the standard format illustrates. 
They may be printed electronically. The approved mill number may 
be pre-printed on the documents. USAGE DU CERTIRCAT (AGR 3809) 
© Ne doit être émis que par les organismes do classements. 
scieries ou expéditeurs approuvés et répertoriés par Agriculture 
Canada 
© Tous les espaces ombragés sont réservés à l'usage facultatif de 
la scierie, de l'organisme de l'expéditeur, de l'exportateur ou du 
pays importateur. 
Exportateur - À l'usage facultatif de l'exportateur. 
Destinataire - À l'usage facultatif de l'exportateur. 
Référence d'entrée aux douanes - A l'usage facultatif du pays-
de destination du certificat. 
Numéro du contrat - Numéro du contrat de l'acheteur. 
Numéro du certificat - Se référé à un numéro devant être 
assigné par la scierie ou l'expéditeur approuvé. Chaque certificat 
doit avoir un numéro individuel qui l'identifie. C'est une exigence 
d'Agriculture Canada. 
Date d'inspection/certification - Date à laquelle l'inspection et 
la certification du bois scié ont eu lieu. 
Numéro du lot - Numéro du lot du bois débité assigné par la 
scierie. 
Scierie - Le nom de la scierie ou de la division, y compris 
l'adresse. Ces renseignements peuvent être imprimés à l'avance 
sur le certificat. 
Numéro de la scierie (ou numéro de l'expéditeur) - Numéro 
d'approbation assigné par Agriculture Canada aux participant; , 
au programme. Afin d'éviter toute confusion, le numéro peut —'' 
correspondre au numéro de scierie assigné par les organismes 
de classement. Seuls les scieries et les expéditeurs répertoriés 
et approuvés par Agriculture Canada peuvent participer - au 
programme. Le numéro de scierie peut être, imprimé é l'avance sur 
le certificat. Il est composé de deux parties, le logo de l'organisme 
et un chiffre. 
Nom du navire - À l'usage facultatif de l'exportateur. 
Lieu de chargement - À l'usage facultatif de l'exportateur. 
Port de départ - À l'usage facultatif de, l'exportateur. 
Port destinataire - À l'usage facultatif de l'exportateur. 
Pays d'origine - Canada. 
Pays destinataire - Ces certificats ne peuvent être utilisés que 
pour le bois débité destiné aux pays qui ont approuvé leur usage. 
Description du chargement - Doit inclure les renseignements au 
sujet des espèces, marques, catégories, nombre de paquets, 
numéros de lot. volume et autres • descriptions appropriées. Si 
l'espace sur la formule n'est pas suffisant, ajouter des pages 
supplémentaires et indiquer sur les certificats dans la case 
< Description du chargement > le nombre de pages que vous avez 
ajoutées. Ces dernières doivent porter le numéro de la scierie, le 
numéro du certificat et la signature autorisée. ^ . 
Si le chargement est constitué de plusieurs chargement»-.^ 
accompagnés de certificats individuels, inscrire les numéros des 
certificats (c.-à-d. les numéros de la scierie et les numéros des 
certificats et dates) sur le certificat qui décrit l'ensemble du 
chargement. Il n'est pas nécessaire d'envoyer les certificats 
individuels, car cela constituerait une deuxième certification. 
Nom et signature - La personne responsable du programme de 
certificat à la scierie ou le représentant de l'expéditeur ou 
l'organisme de classement doit imprimer, écrire lisiblement ou 
dactylographier son nom à côté de la case réservée à la signature. 
Elle doit également signer le certificat, à titre de personne 
autorisée au nom de la scierie ou de l'expéditeur. La signature 
indique que le bois a été écorcé convenablement, que les trous de 
vers de Monochamus ont été contrôlés, qu'il aiété inspecté et qu'il 
satisfait aux exigences du pays importateur.! 
Destination du certificat - Le certificat original doit être présenté 
aux officiels compétents dans le pays importateur quand le bois 
est déchargé dans le pays. Les émetteurs des certificats doivent 
eux-mêmes en garder une copie pour leurs dossiers et aux fins de 
vérification par Agriculture Canada. 
Production at impression des certificats - Les scieries et les 
expéditeurs doivent assurer la reproduction exacte des certificats, 
à partir du certificat normalisé. Il est permis de les imprimer 
électroniquement. Il est également permis d'imprimer à l'avance le 
numéro approuvé de la scierie. 
AGR 3809 (89/09) 

ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(93) 228 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 03 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-93-258-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-56044-4 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
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