"What is the IPPC logo?
Wooden packaging is by far the most widely used packaging material in international trade.
Many traders know that when goods are imported or exported, customs will ask to inspect the wooden packaging and check for the IPPC marking. So, where does this IPPC graphic marking on wooden packaging come from? And what is its function?
What is IPPC marking?
In March 2002 the International Plant Protection Convention (International Plant Protection Convention, referred to as IPPC) issued the 15th international phytosanitary measures standard "international trade in wooden packaging materials management guidelines" (ISPM15). The standard has undergone a number of textual and content revisions since its implementation, including the addition of decontamination treatment methods and the updating of decontamination treatment indicators. The latest version was introduced in 2019.
The standard stipulates that wooden packaging of goods in international trade needs to be decontaminated and labelled with the IPPC logo in accordance with the methods and indicators specified in the standard.
Wooden packaging bearing the IPPC mark indicates that it has been treated in the manner and according to the indicators specified in the standard.
What does the IPPC mark look like?
IPPC marking can be of various styles, but there should be IPPC symbol, country code, treatment enterprise number, treatment mode code.
Take our outbound wooden packaging as an example:
1?IPPC symbol represents the International Plant Protection Convention.
2?CN stands for China (two-letter country code).
3?00000 is the processing enterprise number approved by the Customs;
Expressed as 2-digit customs area code + 3-digit running number.
4?YY for the provisions of the 4 types of wood packaging decontamination treatment: HT on behalf of (steam or cellar dry) heat treatment, DH on behalf of dielectric heating treatment, MB on behalf of methyl bromide fumigation treatment, SF on behalf of sulfuryl fluoride fumigation treatment.
Why IPPC labelling?
Wooden packaging with its high strength, good toughness, can be recycled and reused and other advantages, has become the main bearer, support for the international transport of goods.
However, wooden packaging is also the main carrier of cross-border transmission of forest pests, which can spread pine wood nematodes, aspen, termites, beetles, tree wasps, gypsy moths, weevils, etc. In 1998, some major trading countries required the exporting countries to implement quarantine and phytosanitary certificates of the outbound wooden packaging.
As wooden packaging in international trade involves many types of goods and their related enterprises, the batch quantity is very large, according to the conventional quarantine practice for each batch of wooden packaging quarantine and issue certificates will consume a lot of administrative resources. To this end, the IPPC member states after consultation, and finally reached the 15th international standard for phytosanitary measures, international trade in wooden packaging, as long as the decontamination treatment and marking, no longer need to implement quarantine on each batch of wooden packaging and issue certificates; member states of the marking of mutual recognition, in the entry of only need to check the IPPC marking, without the need to check the phytosanitary certificate.
IPPC mark is wooden packaging in international trade "pass".
What wooden packaging need to be decontaminated and applied IPPC marking?
Wooden materials used for carrying, packaging, padding, supporting, reinforcing goods, such as wooden crates, wooden crates, wooden pallets, wooden frames, wooden barrels (except for oak barrels containing wine), wooden shafts, wooden wedges, cushions, sleepers, lining wood, etc., because there is a possibility of transmission of harmful organisms, the need to be decontaminated before leaving the country and apply IPPC marking.
Synthetic or by heating, pressing and other deep processing of packaging wood materials such as plywood, particleboard, fibreboard, thin rotary core, sawdust, wood, shavings and other wood materials with a thickness equal to or less than 6mm, due to the possibility of transmission of harmful organisms is very small, no longer need to implement the decontamination treatment.
Wooden packaging should be made of peeled wood, but bark with a width of less than 3 cm (regardless of length) or with a width greater than 3 cm but with a total surface area of less than 50 cm2 of individual pieces of bark is permitted.
The wooden packages in the picture below need to be decontaminated and labelled with the IPPC mark.
What are the customs regulations on quarantine of inbound and outbound wooden packaging?
01 For wooden packaging used for outbound goods, Customs implements random inspection and quarantine. Found to be non-compliant with the provisions, are not allowed to leave the country.
Only the wooden packaging marking of outbound goods approved by the Customs and Excise Department can produce and apply IPPC marking to the wooden packaging of outbound goods.
Wooden packaging enterprises that have not obtained the qualification of marking and applying shall not apply IPPC marking without authorisation, and they can purchase wooden packaging with IPPC marking from the marking and applying enterprises announced by the Customs, and require the marking and applying enterprises to provide qualified certificates of decontamination treatment for wooden packaging of outbound goods.
02 For wooden packaging used for inbound goods, the Customs shall implement the following provisions:
(1) For wooden packages that have been marked with IPPC, random inspection and quarantine shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations, and if no live harmful organisms are found, they shall be released immediately; if live harmful organisms are found, the owner of the goods or his/her agent shall be supervised to carry out pesticide treatment on the wooden packages.
(2) For wooden packages without IPPC special marking, decontamination or destruction of wooden packages will be carried out under the supervision of the Customs.
(3) for the declaration of wooden packaging can not determine whether the IPPC special marking, the Customs and Excise Department in accordance with the provisions of the sampling and quarantine. After random inspection to confirm that the wooden packaging with IPPC special marking, and no live harmful organisms found, to be released; found live harmful organisms, supervise the owner of the goods or its agent to carry out decontamination of wooden packaging; found after random inspection of the wooden packaging is not equipped with IPPC special marking of the wooden packaging to carry out decontamination of the wooden packaging or destruction of the treatment.
(4) for the use of wooden packaging without customs clearance but spot checks found in accordance with the relevant provisions to be administrative penalties.
(5) serious violations of the wooden packaging, together with the goods for return processing.
03 re-use, re-processing or repaired wooden packaging should be re-validated and re-applied marking to ensure that all components of wood packaging materials are processed.
Warm tips
Import and export enterprises using wooden packaging should know the quarantine requirements of China and the exporting countries/regions in advance, and use the wooden packaging treated with decontamination and IPPC marking, so as not to affect customs clearance and cause losses.
Importers and exporters should not try to evade customs supervision by using fake labels, etc. Anyone who forges, falsifies or steals IPPC labels will be punished in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Quarantine of Animals and Plants at the Entry and Exit of the People's Republic of China and its implementing regulations.
