Phytosanitary treatment of wooden containers: ISPM 15 standard

Russia exports many goods to other countries. To ensure reliable delivery of cargo over long distances, you need to take care of the packaging. The most preferable option is wooden packaging containers, which are characterized by a whole range of operational advantages: reliability, resistance to mechanical stress, shock resistance, affordable cost, and maintainability.

However, when sending wooden packaging across borders, product owners may encounter some problems. One of them is the need to provide special phytosanitary treatment of wood containers, which must be carried out in accordance with the international standard ISPM 15.

Everything you wanted to know about phytosanitary treatment

The phytosanitary treatment procedure is quite simple. Wooden boxes, pallets, and pallets can be processed in different ways:

Fumigation of wood with methyl bromide.

Heat treatment.

The container is heated for a certain time (at least thirty minutes) to the desired temperature (not lower than +56°C). Under such conditions, most of the tree pests are destroyed.

Chamber drying of containers and chemical impregnation of packaging under pressure.

The wood is dried in special chambers at temperatures above +60°C until the humidity level is less than 20% - in this case, a significant part of the pests will also be destroyed.

After the processing of the wooden container is completed, the appropriate marking is applied to the packaging - only after this can one expect that the wooden container will be able to leave the country. Marking is applied to each unit of packaging - either using a stamp with indelible ink, or by burning it with a brand. The same ISMP15 standard states: this marking can be an equivalent replacement for a phytosanitary certificate. Thus, there is no need to obtain a phytosanitary certificate if there is a marking on the container, the only exception is when it comes to packaging of goods declared according to the relevant codes of the Commodity Nomenclature of Foreign Economic Activity of the Russian Federation.

A natural question arises: what types of wooden containers need to be processed? The list is quite large: these are pallets, boxes and boxes made of wood, these are coils and drums, these are lathing, fastening wood, packaging blocks, these are loading platforms and pallet shells.

Fumigation of containers for export: a mandatory procedure for supplying projections abroad

If you plan to organize the supply of any products abroad, you will definitely need a service such as fumigation of containers for export.
To send goods abroad, they must undergo all necessary sanitary checks, which prevent the spread of various infections and bacteria around the world. If you don’t do this, you can, at a minimum, get into trouble from regulatory authorities, and at maximum, a ban on your activities. Wood materials, which include this type of container, such as pallets, for example, can contain various bacteria, insects, and nematodes in their structure. If they are not destroyed using special methods performed in accordance with the ispm 15 standard, then such cargo may be regarded as dangerous. Fumigation of wooden containers allows you to solve the problem and circumvent all the problems associated with potential bans on products for export.

Processing of wood packaging from Pallet Group of Companies

Processing of wooden containers

We carry out processing using all methods known today. For fumigation, we use high-quality chemical compounds that provide reliable protection of the tree from the effects of rodents, parasites, and harmful microorganisms. We offer heat treatment to food industry enterprises - the effect is the same, but the safety of the products will be higher. Heat treatment implies the absence of residual solutions, which allows you to safely transport food and specific goods without fear of loss of the declared characteristics.

We have all the necessary certificates and licenses to carry out phytosanitary treatment of wood with subsequent marking. Contact us!

When is fumigation of export containers needed?

Fumigation of containers is necessary in many cases:

Transportation of goods in wooden containers abroad;
Import of products into countries where wooden packaging is required to comply with the ispm 15 standard;
To receive a complete package of documents accompanying the goods. The fumigation of containers requires the customer to receive appropriate documentation indicating the method of sanitization, time, and type.

What containers should be processed? This procedure is required for:

Boxes, pallets, trays;
Wooden boxes, wooden barrels;
Wooden blocks, lathing, various wooden fastening elements, etc.

If you are interested in fumigation of containers for export at a competitive price, be sure to contact us for help. The company has been present on the Russian market for more than 10 years and during this time it has successfully completed over 2,500 thousand orders of various levels of complexity.

By collaborating with RFO in the fumigation of wooden containers prepared for export, you receive the following advantages:

A large selection of services for any need. "RFO" performs fumigation of pallets, disinfection, acaricidal treatment and many other assistance options;
The company has all the necessary licenses, certificates and permits for its activities;
All services are available to clients at low prices, although processing is carried out using special expensive means.

Contact RFO and order fumigation of containers for export on the most favorable terms and with a guarantee of results!

Companies that supply products for export, in addition to the quality and safety of the products themselves, must also take care of special antimicrobial treatment of packaging. International rules for the transportation of goods require the mandatory fumification of wooden containers - their disinfection from harmful microorganisms, insects and rodents. In the absence of documents confirming sanitary processing, customs will not allow shipment of goods abroad.

What kind of processing is this, what documents are required to document it, and where can it be done at a good price?

How to pass phytosanitary certification of wood

Text: Nikolay Ladeishchikov, Director of Uraldrev-SCM LLC

To successfully trade on the export market, you need not only to make good lumber, but also to have a weighty package of documents confirming the quality of the products. In particular, one cannot do without a mark of compliance with the international standard for phytosanitary measures ISPM 15. In Russia it is also called ISPM No. 15.

This standard describes phytosanitary measures to reduce the risk of the spread of quarantine pests carried in packaging material made from untreated wood. Norms did not arise out of nowhere. Pests associated with wood packaging material negatively impact forest health and biodiversity.

The document includes wood packaging materials made from coniferous and deciduous wood:

pallets;
wooden slats for loading;
dennage (fastening devices;
sides for box pallets;
boxes;
boxes;
racks used for securing, protecting and transporting goods;
linings;
drums;
gaskets

The requirements do not apply to materials made from wood using glue, high temperatures or pressing (plywood and single-layer plywood, fibreboard, chipboard, veneer, paper products).

According to international standards, wood packaging materials must be subjected to special treatment.

A good alternative to chemical treatment is disinfection of wood by heating to a temperature of +56 ° C, followed by holding for 30 minutes. This is the most environmentally friendly method.

Heat treatment ( HT – Heat Triatment) can be carried out in a lumber drying chamber. It is recommended to mark the treated wood using the burning method or make an imprint with indelible paint.

For example, in the KSK-15 drying chamber it is possible to heat treat manufactured packaging materials: pallets, etc., as well as lumber, blanks, timber used in packaging cargo (volume 15 m3). When processing containers, for example, pallets measuring 1200x800x145 mm, 240 pieces can be loaded into the chamber.

During phytosanitary treatment, at least four temperature sensors must be installed in the drying chamber, which must be placed in different parts of the chamber to measure and record the temperature throughout the entire volume of the material being processed.

Read also: Customs broker in Tyumen

During the entire processing process, at a given time interval, wood temperature data is archived in the memory of the electronic recorder, then this information is organized by date.

The recorder in its memory can store data about the processing performed over a long period of time. They can be transferred to a flash drive for further transfer to a personal computer and printing as data or a graph.

Registration of data on the processing process is intended to record the quantity of processed materials and provide the necessary information to the state inspection.

Obtaining a marking

Over the past few years, new enterprises have not been accredited and, accordingly, have not been issued labels. Important regulations on issuing permits for phytosanitary treatment were prepared and approved only in 2021.

Starting from January 1, 2021, they began to issue markings, as well as license the activities of legal entities for the right to carry out work on quarantine phytosanitary disinfection of wood and packaging materials made from wood.

Documentation

To obtain a marking for heat treatment in a drying chamber in accordance with the ISPM 15 standard, you must contact the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Department of Rosselkhoznadzor) of the territory where the treatment is planned.

Labels are issued in accordance with Order of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia dated March 15, 2021 No. 123 “On approval of the procedure for labeling regulated products transported in the form of wood packaging or fastening materials, subject to their use when exported from the Russian Federation as packaging or fastening for other goods exported from the Russian Federation goods, requirements for the form of a special sign of international standard, indicating the compliance of such regulated products with the quarantine phytosanitary requirements of the importing country, and methods of its application.”

They issue permits for the right to carry out phytosanitary treatment in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 133 of February 3, 2021 “On approval of the Regulations on licensing the activities of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs for the right to perform work on quarantine phytosanitary disinfection.”

When applying for a mark, the applicant must have:

Drying chamber (factory-made with a metal insulated body, or built from brick, blocks and other building materials and equipped with modern equipment for drying (heating wood));

2.Process automation system;

System for recording the processing process (electronic recorder for recording wood temperature data at 4 points in the chamber);
Extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (for legal entities) or extract from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs;
Passport and technological diagram of the drying chamber;

6. Scheme of storage areas for unprocessed and treated (disinfected) wood or wood containers;

7. Documents on verification of the electronic recorder and temperature sensors;

Documents on education and (or) qualifications of a drying plant operator. In the absence, employees must undergo a training course (retraining) as a drying plant operator;

9. Order on the appointment of a person responsible for carrying out disinfection work;

Availability of serviceable furnaces or equipment for the destruction of wood or wood packaging material contaminated with pests, waste wood and bark (at the location of production). If the enterprise does not have a furnace, it is possible to enter into an agreement for burning affected wood, for example, with a boiler house that burns wood waste.

If all these requirements are met, the company will be issued a personal identification number (labeling mark), which can be applied to the processed (disinfected) material.

Licensing of phytosanitary treatment activities

Licensing of heat treatment activities is carried out in accordance with clause 3 (Work to destroy or deprive the viability of harmful organisms in regulated products or at (in) regulated objects by thermal means) of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 9, 2021 N 768 “On the establishment of species work on quarantine phytosanitary disinfection."

Documents confirming that the applicant has:

Documents for objects of the housing stock and those belonging to it on the right of ownership or other legal basis, meeting the established requirements;
Documents confirming the ownership of the drying chamber (purchase agreement, lease, etc.),
Documents confirming ownership of the processing process recording device;

4. Fire alarm for the area where the drying chamber is installed. If the drying chamber is installed outside the production premises, the fire alarm should be installed inside the chamber;

Availability of qualified workers who have entered into employment contracts with the license applicant and directly perform disinfection work; higher professional education or secondary specialized vocational education and work experience of at least 3 years in the relevant specialty.

Upon receipt of a positive decision, the enterprise is licensed and entered into the register. After which you can independently carry out disinfection of wood and containers, taking into account the requirements of the country of exporter of the product.

Information on obtaining a license to carry out phytosanitary treatment can be found on the official website of Rosselkhoznadzor (Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, https://www.fsvps.ru). In the Registration and Licensing section, you must go to the “QFO” subsection (Quarantine phytosanitary disinfection). In clause 3 of this section – “License Register” you can find up-to-date information on issued licenses (Fig. 4.

For your information

Phytosanitary treatment with methyl bromide is allowed. It is included in the standard in case there are no alternative methods. Methyl bromide depletes the ozone layer, and recommendations have been made to replace or reduce the use of methyl bromide as a phytosanitary measure.

The article was published in the journal Forest Complex No. 2 2019

Where to go for container fumigation

For proper fumigation of pallets, other containers, and preparation of official documentation, special training and qualifications of employees are required. For this reason, only enterprises with a special license from Rosselkhoznadzor have the right to carry out phytosanitary treatment. The regional fumigation team will professionally perform all work on disinfecting containers for export products. We guarantee full compliance of phytosanitary processing and customs documentation with the rules of the international standard ISPM 15 and the requirements of domestic legislation. We carry out work both on site at the customer’s site and in our own production – at relatively low prices.

Cost of fumigation service

The presence of a fumigation badge is checked at customs - otherwise, border control simply will not allow the goods to leave the Russian Federation. The price of the service depends on the following main factors:

the total volume of work performed;
type of substance used;
labor costs - depend on the complexity of the design.

You can get more detailed information about how much fumigation costs from our consultants. The easiest way to get in touch is by phone: by calling yourself or by sending a request for a call back through a special form. Our specialist will call the client back at a time convenient for him and answer all his questions.

Choosing a simple processing method

If we are talking about protecting containers without mandatory labeling, based on considerations of rational expenditure of funds, then heat treatment and drying are quite sufficient. The wood will remain neutral for a long time; conditions for the development of bacteria and fungi will not form in it.

Enamel painting

Rodents and bugs can attack such containers, so pallets and boxes can be protected with paint. For this purpose, cheap coating enamels such as PF-115 are used, well known to many from the characteristic “military” coloring of the boxes. However, such protection has a drawback - the enamel cracks, moisture passes into the cracks, and pockets of rot and mold appear among the wood fibers.

Varnish coating with inhibitors

The second option for protective painting is to coat the finished container with varnish and impregnate the surface layer. This technique is used in the manufacture of standard painted military boxes . The effect lasts for several months, and the coating can be renewed. Difficulties arise when working with pallets: it is more difficult to paint the containers at the junction of the bars and boards; in addition, pallets are most often stored in harsher conditions, therefore they remain vulnerable to moisture, and this creates conditions for the development of mold.

Fumigation effect

If we are talking about the need to protect goods and warehouses from fungus, then it makes sense to use fumigated packaging, regardless of whether it will be exported.

Mold Prevention

Mold damage is an extremely dangerous phenomenon, the fight against which can require enormous costs, and the losses add up to very serious amounts. A large warehouse complex, production, and products on pallets may also be affected. Therefore, it is better to take protective measures in advance, otherwise the process becomes hurricane-like. Fumigated pallets do not allow fungus to develop; this is much more effective than applying paint to the surface. Painting gives rather an external effect, which does not last long unless you use special impregnating varnishes with inhibitors of bacterial and fungal activity.