FBDi: News regarding Wood Packaging Material

The Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1137 regarding the “supervision, plant health checks and measures to be taken on wood packaging material” for the transport of commodities originating in certain third countries came into force on 1 October 2018. The background to this is the implementation of protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products. Under this Decision, commodities originating in China (incl. Taiwan) and Belarus that are imported into the Union supported, protected or carried by wood packaging material (e.g. pallets, wooden boxes, drums) with the Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes or the TARIC codes listed in Annex I to the Decision, must be registered for plant health checks in advance. To ensure deliveries do not “get stuck in customs”, the FBDi has developed a guideline in the Environment and Compliance Competence Team for the members of the association.

The term ‘wood packaging material’ means wood or wood products used in supporting, protecting or carrying a commodity. This includes, e.g., pallets, packing cases, boxes, crates and similar packings irrespective of whether or not they are actually in use in the transport of objects of all kinds. Processed wood produced by glue, heat or pressure or a combination thereof and packaging material entirely composed of wood of 6 mm of thickness or less are excluded.