Wooden packing for imports and exports

In line with the organisation reform programme promulgated by the State Council in March 1998, State Bureau for Inspection and Quarantine
of Entry and Exit was consolidated from three former bureaus, namely the State Administration for the Inspection of Import and Export
Commodities, the Inspection & Quarantine Bureau of Animals and Plants under the Ministry of Agriculture and the Quarantine Bureau
under Ministry of Public Health.
As of January 1, 2000, the new system for inspection and quarantine of entry and exit has roundly been put into operation at the inspection
and quarantine system of each port in China. In the existing system, the inspection and quarantine of wooden packing for imports and
exports concerns the import and export enterprises the most. If the relevant certificates are not obtained prior to Customs declaration,
it is possible for the goods not to be cleared, to be rejected for entry by Customs, or to result in extra charges.
The rules for wooden packing for imports and exports follow strictly the international standards since March 2005.

Wooden packing
Wooden packing means the wooden materials to be used in load-bearing, packing, bedding, support and fastening of goods, such as nailed
wooden box, wooden crate, wooden pallet, wooden frame, wooden bucket, wooden cask, wood bearing, chock, sleeper, crosser, etc. These
packing materials can be found in any imports including the goods not included for inspection and quarantine of plants, except for the following
materials: the deeply-processed wooden packing materials through artificial synthesis or heating and compression, such as laminated plywood,
flakeboard, fiberboard and so on; and the wooden materials equal to or less than 6mm in thickness, such as peeled core, saw dust, wood wool
and wood shavings.

Inspection and quarantine

(A) Requirements for Wooden Packing of Imports
For the wooden packing of goods from USA, Japan, South Korea and EU to China (if they are listed in Catalogue of Inward and Outward
Commodities Inspected and Quarantined by Inspection and Quarantine Organs of Entry and Exit) and imports, the owner or his agent should
submit certificates or statements of wooden packing for goods when applying for inspection to the relative inspection and quarantine organ
prior to Customs clearance at ports. Afterwards he can apply for clearance to the port Customs by use of the List for Clearance of Inward
Goods issued by the inspection and quarantine organ. The goods for Customs transit shall be cleared by the Customs at the forwarding
site according to List for Clearance of Inward Goods issued by the inspection and quarantine organ at the forwarding site.
The application of wooden packing made of pine tree should be avoided in the imports from USA, Japan and South Korea, because prior to
export, such a packing must be heat-treated (continuous treatment should last 30 minutes at the central temperature above 56 degrees) or
treated in other effective pest-control methods approved by the Chinese side, which should be attested in the inspection and quarantine
certificate of plants issued by the official quarantine department of the exporting country. For the goods with wooden packing not made of pine
tree or without wooden packing, the exporter must submit the related statements of goods without wooden packing made of pine tree or
goods without wooden packing to the Customs.
The wooden packing for the imports from European Community countries must be barked and should be heat-treated, fumigated or treated in
the other effective pest-control methods before export, and proved acceptable in the certificate of plant quarantine issued by the official
quarantine department in the exporting country. The qualified wooden packing must be tagged the method and site of treatment, execution
unit, or its information code. For the goods without wooden packing, Statement of Goods without Wooden Packing must be submitted by the
exporter.
For goods entering China, the importer must apply to the inspection and quarantine department of entry and exit by submitting the certificate of
plant quarantine and statement of goods with wooden packing made of non-pine tree or goods without wooden packing, so that the quarantine
department can check by sampling and quarantine the goods. Customs shall clear the goods by the List for Clearance of Inward Goods issued
by the inspection and quarantine department of entry and exit.
All unqualified wooden packing shall be demolished and treated by the importer under the supervision of the inspection and quarantine
department of entry and exit at the entry port. Those incapable of being destroyed shall be treated as noxious substance together with the goods
in them.

(B) Requirements for Wooden Packing of Outward Goods

The wooden packing for exports to USA, Canada, Brazil, EC and Australia, since 1998, are not allowed to have barks, wormholes or living pests
and can be cleared upon being inspected and quarantined. For exports with USA, Canada and Brazil as the final destinations (including
transhipments via Hong Kong to USA), the Chinese exporters must heat-treat, fumigate or treat with preservative the wooden packing prior to
load-bearing of goods in the wooden packing and apply to the local inspection and quarantine department to obtain a Certificate of Fumigation
and Disinfection. For exports without wooden packing, the exporters shall submit the Statement of Goods without Wooden Packing to the
department. Export enterprises can apply for clearance to the local Customs with the List for Clearance of Inward Goods. Customs in
USA and Canada will examine and clear the goods by Certificate of Fumigation and Disinfection issued by Chinese inspection and quarantine
organ.
For exports with final destination to the EU that are packed in wooden packing made of pine tree from the epidemic-stricken areas of pine wood
nematode, the wooden packing must be pest-treated before export, and tagged with the method and site of treatment and execution unit. A
Plant Quarantine Certificate shall be issued by the inspection and quarantine body. If the exports are packed in the wooden packing made
of pine tree from the non-epidemic-stricken areas of pine wood nematode, the inspection and quarantine organ shall issue Plant Quarantine
Certificate after quarantining the wooden packing in order to prove that the wooden packing is not made in the epidemic-stricken areas. For
the wooden packing not made of pine tree, if the exporters requires the inspection and quarantine organ to issue related certificate of
treatment, they can apply for inspection and quarantine to the organ that shall issue Certificate of Fumigation and Disinfection upon pesttreatment on wooden packing.

Latest Regulations of Wooden Packing

(A) The new requirements for wooden packing of inward goods to be put into execution as from January 1, 2006
For the purpose of preventing pests from entering China together with inward goods and protecting forest, ecological environment and
tourist resources in China, the following requirements for wooden packing of inward goods are formulated according to Law of the Peoples
Republic of China for Quarantine of Animals and Plants and its implementation regulations and by reference to ISPM #15: Guidelines for
Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade promulgated by International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC):
The wooden packing used for inward goods should be treated by the plant quarantine organ of the exporting country or local government in the
treatment process confirmed by China, and attached with the IPPC special tag approved by the governmental plant quarantine organ. If the
inward goods are contained in the wooden packing, the owners or their agents should cooperate with the inspection and quarantine organ of
entry and exit in quarantine upon application. Owners or his agents who fail in application for quarantine of wooden packing will be punished by
the inspection and quarantine organ of entry and exit as regulated legally.
For the inward goods with wooden packing listed in Catalogue of Inward and Outward Commodities Inspected and Quarantined by Inspection
and Quarantine Organs of Entry and Exit, the inspection and quarantine body shall issue List for Clearance of Inward Goods upon quarantine
of the wooden packing. For inward goods with wooden packing not listed therein, the inspection and quarantine organ can quarantine them after
Customs clearance. If wooden packing is found unqualified or of living pests, the owners or their agents shall pest-treat and destroy the
wooden packing or return the goods through contacting the Customs under the supervision of the inspection and quarantine organ. All charges
arising herefrom shall be for the account of the owners. The goods with wooden packing that is required to quarantine cannot be put into use
without authorization before being acceptable. The wooden packing used for the goods from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan is applicable to the
above requirements.
(B) The new requirements for wooden packing of outward goods to be put into execution as from March 1, 2005
With a view of preventing pests from spreading worldwide together with the wooden packing for goods and coordinating WTO member
countries in formulation of inspection and quarantine regulations of wooden packing, the IPPC promulgated ISPM #15: Guidelines for Regulating
Wood Packaging Material in International Trade in March 2002, for the purpose that the wooden packing used for goods should be pesttreated such as fumigation or heat treatment before export and that the plant quarantine certificate shall not be required to the qualified wooden
packing attached with IPPC special tag.
At present the Guidelines have been accepted and will successively be implemented in the EU, Canada, USA, Australia and other countries on
March 1, 2005. More countries will adopt it in the future. The wooden packing out of accord with the international standard shall be pest-treated,
destroyed and rejected at the entry port by the importing country or region. To avoid incurring costs, wooden packing for Chinese exports should
be in accord with the quarantine regulations of the importing country or region through treatment in the specified quarantine and pest-removal

method and attached with the required special tags. Strict inspection and quarantine by sampling shall be given to the wooden packing for the
exports, and export of the goods with unqualified wooden packing prohibited by the inspection and quarantine organ of entry and exit.

Changes after Implementation of International Standard

The new Measures for Quarantine and Treatment of Wooden Packing of Outward Goods was promulgated formally on January 10, 2005 and
put into formal execution on March 1, 2005. The international standards are adopted in wooden packing materials, pest-removal methods
and special tags. As stated in the new Measures, the manufacturers of wooden packing can fulfill the qualifications for attachment of special
tags after qualifying through tests given directly by the inspection and quarantine organ that supervise pest-removal treatments and tag
attachments. The enterprises unqualified in attachment of special tags should purchase the tagged wooden packing from the enterprises for
treatment of wooden packing, which are qualified by the inspection and quarantine organ and require them to provide Certificate of Conformity
for Pest-removing Treatment of Wooden Packing of Outward Goods.
On March 1, 2005, the USA, EU, South Africa and other counties started implementation of new international standard of goods wooden
packing. However, these countries are the main markets for Chinese exports with wooden packing, so the implementation of this standard shall
greatly influence export of Chinese goods. In Chinese exports, more than 90% are packed with wooden materials. Enforcement of international
standards and the new Measures will become a great test of pest-treatment technology to the manufacturers of wooden packing in addition to
increases in export cost. Related enterprises should therefore concern themselves with this information and respond positively by acquainting
themselves with the details of the new Measures.