Plans afoot to tighten ISPM 15 procedures

A number of SA shippers and
packaging outfits are shirking
the rules for the anti-pest
treatment of wooden packaging
contained in the international
ISPM 15 standard, according
to Andre Swanepoel of Pest
Control Specialists and national
chairman of the SA Pest Control
Association (Sapca).
To help beat this problem,
he told FTW, the International
Plant Protection Convention
(IPPC) has certain plans afoot to
enforce more stringent controls.
These include the
implementation of an improved
stamping procedure for wood
and wood-packaging material
presently being investigated.
While the IPPC has reached
no finalisation on a replacement
fumigant for methyl bromide
(MB ), the preferred fumigant in
the race appears to be sulphuryl
fluoride, Swanepoel added.
“The preferred and adopted
fumigant will be introduced by
2010,” he said, “with the final
phasing-out of MB under the
Orlando Protocol to be no later
than 2012.
“It is also widely anticipated
that, due to the logistical
problems encountered with
heat treatment (HT), it will in
all possibility be replaced with
irradiation treatment (IT).”
Sapca is strongly in favour
of these new processes being
adopted in this country, and for
it to be able to authenticate any
accredited service provider.
“It appears that many noncompliant
companies and
individuals have been issued
with either an MB or HT stamp,”
Swanepoel said, “indicating that
they have been approved to
apply either heat treatment or
methyl bromide.”
But, he added, there is at
present no approved agency to
accredit a claimed HT facility in
SA, nor do most of the claimed
HT facilities “remotely fulfil the
criteria”.
Swanepoel also reported
that the number of approvals
granted to fumigators for MB did not correspond to the
accredited applicators in the
country.
“Racketeer crate and
pallet manufacturers who
have managed to acquire HT
authorisation have resorted to
the use of wet, off-sawn timber
(not even kiln dried) – which
gives them a pricing advantage
of up to 35% over their
competitors.
“The result of this practice
has already led to the return
of consignments from ports of
destination due to mould and
algae appearing on the timber,
which in turn has led to costly
delays and huge losses for
consignees.”
For clarity on any of the
issues raised, the South African
Pest Control Association can be
contacted.