EU bans certain wood packaging

ANOTHER PACKING material bug is doing its rounds, and could bite SA exporters in the passing. This time it's the European Union (EU) bloc which has been forced to introduce emergency measures relating to coniferous wood packaging material originating in North America, China or Japan. From next Monday (October 1) any cargo in such wood packing - unless it has been properly treated according to specific EU requirements - will not be allowed into the Union. These restrictions have been slapped on as an attempt to prevent further introduction of the pinewood nematode to Europe. This is a microscopic eelworm that has infested areas of pine forest in the restricted regions - and damaged and killed whole swathes of the trees. There have also been outbreaks reported across Europe from various countries. The EU regulations demand that all coniferous wood packaging materials from the affected areas must be effectively treated against the eelworm and must be marked to show where, when and how this was done. The problem for SA exporters is that a lot of them purchase second-hand timber for packing their European exports and this material may very well be from one of the restricted sources, and may itself be affected. For those using SA timber - which retains a "clear" status - marking it with its origin and details of any treatment it has received has also been recommended. This to remove any doubt from the minds of EU inspectors. Noting similar details on the packing specs and invoices would further confirm the acceptability of this packaging.