Anlmal,Plant and Flsherles Quarantine and Inspection Agency

Quarantine regulations on wood packaging materials for import and export consignment

A. Definition

Processed wood

• Wood packaging materials made of completely processed wood such as plywood, particle board, oriented strand board (OSB)that are produced using adhesive, heat, pressures and mixture of these
• Packaging material made of wood less than 6mm (sawdust, plane shaving, wood wool)
• Wine cask and liquid barrel with wine or liquor inside

Mended wood packaging materials

• Packaging material that removed parts (less than 1/3) of the components of wood packaging material used previously and replaced them with other wood materials that have been treated
  • Each added pieces shall be marked
  • In case they are mended, previous marks can be erased before retreating the whole and requesting for the marking.

Re-manufactured

• In case of replacing more than 1/3 of the components of wood packaging material
• In case of re-manufactured wood packaging materials, previous treatment marks shall be erased completely.
  • They shall be retreated and new marking shall be placed.

B. Inspection of wood packaging materials for import and export consignment

Export of wood packaging materials

• Treatment marks shall be placed on each wood packaging material after removing barks and applying treatment (heat treatment and MB).
  • Possible to re-use wood packaging material which is not re-infected.
  • Re-manufactured wood packaging materials shall be removed of the previous marking and place new marking after the treatment.

Application for inspection of export WPM and issuance of inspection certificate

• Any person intending to be issued with an inspection certificate for export wood packaging material, one must apply to a regional or branch office of APQA by submitting export inspection application form accompanying documents in the below and shall be issued with an "export inspection certificate" stating the treatment details.
  • Heat treatment (MB fumigation) result report issued by a treatment company
  • Certificate of raw material requirement

*Application for export plant inspection can be made online or by fax or visiting the APQA office. In case of online application,   one must register for online membership of QIPS in advance.

Inspection of heat treatment business registration criteria and the registration

A. Inspection of criteria for heat treatment business registration

Inspection of criteria for heat treatment business registration and the report

• Upon application for registration, inspection shall be carried out in accordance with "Inspection list of standards for heat treatment business" to check whether the heat treatment company's facilities and equipments meet the registration standards

B. Registration for the use of treatment marks

Procedure of registration for the use of treatment marks

* The size of the treatment mark to be used in wood packaging materials of export consignments shall be 7.5cm x 3.5 cm in total in principle, but it can be made by adjusting the size depending on the use. 
* The treatment mark to be used in wood packaging materials of export consignments shall comply with the treatment marking of international standards or of an exporting country.

The use of treatment mark and notice

• No other information shall be indicated inside the border of the treatment mark.
• The treatment mark shall be legible, permanent, have fixed location, be located on more than 2 sides of the item subject to certification, and be located on two opposite sides of each other.
• The treatment mark shall not be hand drawn.
• The color of the marking shall use black, dark blue or blue but red and orange cannot be used.
• The treatment mark shall be marked with indelible stamp or postmark.
• Before using the treatment mark, application for registration of treatment mark shall be completed to be submitted to the plant quarantine inspection agency located in the jurisdiction of the facility and it can be used after receiving the registration certificate for use of treatment mark.
• In case of a wood packaging material composed of various elements:
  In case of a wood packaging material mixed with or composed of processed wood and unprocessed wood, the treatment mark should be placed on unprocessed wood that was treated where it can be seen clearly.
• In case of wood packaging materials such as dunnage, the treatment mark shall be marked where it can be read clearly.

C. Inspection of heat treatment companies

Regular inspection of heat treatment companies every year

• Check whether they meet registration standards (manpower, facilities and equipment), and treatment standards
• Frequent inspection
  • Companies that have received unconformity notice by an importing country
  • Companies that conducted heat treatment of wood packaging materials where a pest was detected
  • Companies that was imposed of administrative action within 1 year period due to forgery or poor treatment
  • Companies that were given orders for correction or improvement
  • Unqualified companies hall be given order for improvement or correction (provisions in paragraph 1 of Article 41 of the Act)

Obligations of treatment operators

A. Marking obligations of treatment operator

After the treatment, markings shall be immediately place on each wood packaging material.

• A person requesting for treatment of semi-processed products such as rectangular lumber and board, shall submit "plans for manufacturing of wood packaging materials and request for marking of treatment after the treatment" and marking after the treatment will be possible.
• If request for treatment marking before the container fumigation is submitted to APQA:
• Approval for treatment marking before fumigation shall be issued and it will be possible to place marks before the treatment.

Keep record of relevant documents for more than a year after the treatment
(information system management)

• A report of heat treatment (fumigation) operation result
• Daily record of heat treatment of wood packaging material
• A registration of wood packaging material treatment
• Plans for wood packaging material production and request for marking after the treatment

Management through separation from untreated woods, isolation and covering in order to prevent re-infestation by pests

• In case of re-infestation, or validity expires, retreatment shall be applied.

Before conducting treatment, the treatment plan shall be informed to APQA or put in to the nformation system

• Including information such as kinds of packaging materials, date of treatment and requesting company

A company whose business was suspended shall return the treatment mark.

Treatment of wood packaging materials that have illegal or false treatment marks

• Remove the treatment mark or destroy
• Re-manufactured wood packaging materials shall be removed of existing marks or destroy them.

Temperature measuring tools shall be corrected every year, in ± 30 days from the expiry date.

B. Voluntary cancellation of heat treatment business registration

In case of voluntary withdrawal or cancellation of the registration, the company must return the registration certificate to APQA

• Return the certificate of business registration for heat treatment of import and export woods, certificate of registration for use of treatment marks and the treatment mark.

Regulations for quarantine inspection of wood packaging materials of import consignment

A. Import requirements

Import wood packaging materials shall bear markings certified by the NPPO of an exporting country.

• After being treated by a facility approved by the NPPOs, treatment marking shall be placed on each wood packaging material.
• Import wood packaging materials shall be free of a live pest and be debarked.
• In case there are no phytosanitary certificates for sawdust and plane shave, only the relevant packaging materials shall be destroyed.
• In case of MB fumigation, a wood packaging material whose cross section exceeds 200mm shall not be treated.

Inspection of import wood packaging materials

• Random sampling from import consignments at bonded warehouses or container terminal storage yards.
• Check conformity to import requirements, treatment marking and presence of pests.

B. Actions for inspection of import wood packaging materials

Actions taken for the treatment marking

• In case there is a treatment mark:
  • Treatment of consignments and wood packaging materials
  • In case consignments are non-plants and if they can be separated, actions shall be taken only on packaging materials.
• In case there is no treatment marking,
  • Destroy or return.

Actions taken for pest detection

• In case prohibited pests are detected,
  • Consignments shall be destroyed or returned irrespective of presence of treatment mark.
  • In case the consignment is non-plant products, actions shall be taken only on packaging materials after treatment.
• In case regulated pathogens or a live pest is detected,
  • Treatment shall be applied. If it is impossible to apply treatment, or if owners wish to destroy or return consignments, they shall be destroyed or returned. (if there is a treatment mark.)

Actions for destruction

• In case there is no treatment mark
• In case no bark is removed
  • Actions shall be taken only on the relevant packing materials.
• In case the owner wishes to destroy consignments
• In case a prohibited pest is detected

[Actions taken depending on the result of inspection on wood packaging materials ]

C. Approval for transportation of import wood packaging material

Actions for movement of import wood packaging materials which violated quarantine requirements to the final destination

• xcept for prohibited pests, an importer shall request APQA for approval of movement in order to move them to the final destination to carry out the order.
  • Dangerous articles including special packaging consignments, precision machinery or its parts, glass products and toxic substances
  • In case there are concerns for cargo damages if packaging materials such as bulk cargo is separated
  • In case the head of a regional office believes that it is impossible to take actions at the importing site

Approval for movement, in case there are no concerns for spread of pests

• The approval for movement shall be issued to an applicant within 2 days
• Forward the relevant documents to the head of the organization in the port of arrival
  • Inspection application (in case of import plants)
  • Orders for treatment, destruction and return
  • Request for approval of movement and the approval
• A plant quarantine officer who issued approval for movement shall record in the registration of movement approval issuance.
• In case any one wishes to change the final destination, one shall submit request for approval of movement, to the head of organization located in the destination.
• In case they are divided to different regions, approval for movement shall be given to each region

D. Treatment and destruction of import wood packaging materials

Methods of treatment and destruction

• Incineration
• Burying (depth shall be over 1m and woods infected by termites, nematodes or root pathogens shall be exempted.)
• Processed treatment under the condition of pest destruction (treatment applicable to processed woods)
• Wood packaging materials subject to destruction such as violation of regulations (no marking), shall be grinded. (less than 6 mm)

Check result of implementation of orders for treatment and destruction of wood packaging materials of import consignment by a plant quarantine inspector

• The result of the implementation of orders for treatment and destruction of wood packaging materials shall be checked in attendance of a plant quarantine inspector.
• Documents to be submitted by a destruction company in attendance of a plant quarantine inspector
  • A copy of relevant documents such as a report of treatment result, confirmation of destruction, confirmation of processing, and documents proving process of grinding (including a photo)

Proof of actions taken and issuance of documents

• In case owners request a proof of the actions taken, certificates for actions shall be issued.
• Actions taken shall be recorded and managed in the registration for issuance of certificate of actions taken.