Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1141207
28 PalletCentral • May-June 2019 palletcentral.com harmful pests into the United States is to address pest threats where they originate. To accomplish this, we collaborate with officials and industries in the exporting country and U.S. importers to decrease the artificial spread of invasive pests. This allows us to explore the full range of regulatory and non- regulatory options for reaching our shared goals of safeguarding agriculture and natural resources from invasive pests and facilitating safe trade. For example, in fiscal year (FY) 2017, we learned that a major aerospace company had detected snails in five containers of aircraft parts imported from Italy. These detections revealed a high-risk pest pathway with long-term, far-reaching implications given the company's ongoing production needs for imported parts. Over the course of FY 2017, we worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the company to find a solution. Together, we agreed to put in a place a number of safeguarding measures that would address the snails without impeding the company's imports. These measures included proactive actions by the exporter in Italy to keep containers clean during loading and cleaning and treating a site adjacent to the container packing area, which was the source of snails. During the first quarter of FY 2018, over 30 containers arrived mollusk-free, validating the safeguarding measures. We are also working through the IPPC and NAPPO to develop a range of strategies, from standards to voluntary guidance, for managing pests in a number of other pathways. For example, PPQ is working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, U.S. and Canadian border control agencies, and North American industry groups to promote the use of voluntary guidelines for cleaning sea containers to help prevent pest spread. Are there any standards like ISPM 15 in these industries? Why not? In total, the IPPC has adopted 42 international standards. These standards provide guidance for the safe movement of various commodities, such as seeds, grain, and plants for planting. They cover a wide range of topics, including the consistent application of phytosanitary treatments, pest identification, export certification, and pest risk analysis, among other things. A complete list of adopted standards is available on the IPPC website: https://www.ippc.int/en/ core-activities/standards-setting/ispms/. To learn more about ISPM 15 and export treatment, visit palletcentral.com/ispm15works. PC INDUSTRY