The international trade in goods and materials is vital to the global economy but many elements of freight shipping need very close regulation. In 2002, the International Plant Protection Convention implemented International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No 15 (ISPM15) in recognition of the potential dangers presented by the unmonitored movement of wooden packaging materials around the world. The objective was to make sure that wooden pallets for sale in one country could not inadvertently introduce its indigenous wood pests into another.

Pests and Diseases

The Woodland Trust has made available an alarming list of the many types of imported pests and diseases which now affect forests in the UK. These include Dutch elm disease, which has been ravaging the landscape for over 40 years, ash dieback, bronze birch borer, the great spruce bark beetle, which came to our shores in 1982, the red-necked longhorn beetle and fungal diseases such as sirococcustsugae.

Wood is a sustainable material used in many sectors including construction, but it is of course central to the wood packaging industry. Companies who manufacture wooden pallets and other forms of wooden packaging are caught in a kind of crossfire: home-produced pallets themselves are subject to stringent treatment and inspection requirements, but so too is the raw material that goes into their construction, which often comes from foreign sources.

Heat and chemical treatments can be extremely effective in neutralising the dangers of infested wooden pallets, which is why most countries will refuse entry to shipments which are not delivered on ISPM15 certified pallets.

Exemptions

There are some exemptions from the standard, such as pallets made of thin wood with a thickness of less than 6mm, packaging made from processed materials like plywood and particle board, wine and spirit barrels that have been heated during production and sawdust and shaving. These are fairly marginal issues and the vast bulk of products and materials will fall under ISPM15\'s conditions.

As for imported timber, the government is introducing emergency measures following the discovery of Pine Processionary Moth on pine trees at nurseries in England and Wales. This pest has made the short journey across the Channel from France, but as UK timber imports reach record levels, companies that use wood and the wood packaging industry, in particular, are acutely vulnerable. For example, there is no blanket ban on the import of timber that still bears its bark. Suppliers may be asked to provide a plant passport and fumigation certificate but this regime may not be robust enough to stop all rogue shipments from getting through.

Manufacturers of wood packaging are therefore facing several pressures. Not only are worldwide timber prices rising to new highs, exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent ban on Russian timber, but the possibility of liability for an inadvertent contribution to the spread of wood pests creates a serious commercial risk.

Recycled Pallets

Recycling is becoming more popular within the industry, because it makes it more likely that wooden pallets for sale in the UK are free from newly imported diseases and may even retain some of the protection applied to the original pallets from which they have been assembled. However, this residual protection cannot be relied on, so fresh treatment using either heat or chemicals such as the toxic pesticide methyl bromide may be advisable.

Every year inspectors from the Forestry Commission perform approximately 10,000 checks of timber consignments at UK borders. Any signs or evidence of pests and disease is sent for analysis. About 150 instances of non-compliant imports are detected every year, but the numbers which go unnoticed are, of course, impossible to confirm.

The Rising Costs of Wooden Pallets for Sale

For this reason, manufacturers of wooden packaging products - not just pallets, but crates and barrels as well - need to keep a close watch on any foreign timber they use. At the same time, with so many foreign pests and diseases already here, and new ones likely to arrive in the future, manufacturers cannot even take a relaxed view of homegrown timber. The costs of this vigilance must either be absorbed by the manufacturers or passed on to clients and customers.

We all want to see growth in global trade but a responsible producer of wood packaging must factor these important protections into its business model.