Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/739842
INSIDE NWPCA Capitol Hill Corner Wooden Pallets & Containers: E xpor t Shipments A recent move by the Chinese government to protect their county from the Zika virus has led to wooden pallet and container manufacturers asking about quarantine and treatment protocols for their product. Specifically, customers have been asking manufacturers about providing them with Zika-free wooden pallets and containers. This is a misunderstanding of the issue, protocols and request by China. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) has stated shipments from the U.S. shall be subject to anti-mosquito treatment. Inbound shipments without proof of anti-mosquito treatment will be fumigated at the port of discharge in China by the authorities without prior notice. It is the Consignee's responsibility to inform Shipper (at origin) to provide a certificate proof of treatment before loading the shipment. Following the World Health Organization's August 2, 2016 determination that the United States is a Zika-infected country, Chinese authorities now require mosquito disinsections on shipments from Florida to China. Disinsection means killing live mosquitoes, their larva and eggs. Fumigation is one type of disinsection, but spraying is another method of disinsection. Since March of 2016, China's AQSIQ has required all countries on its Zika-infected list to comply with disinsection requirements. As of August 5, forty other countries, including Mexico and Brazil, are subject to these requirements. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service is actively engaging with relevant Chinese ministries, U.S. government counterparts and industry stakeholders to clarify the scope of the new requirements and minimize any potential trade disruptions. A federal spending bill, which would have provided $1.1 billion to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus, remains held up due to a political battle between Republican and Democrat Senators. Each side is pointing at the other, blaming them for poisoning the bill with controversial policies aimed at the other side. In the interim, there have been reported cases of Zika in Florida, and as far north as North Dakota further raising concerns of Zika in the United States. NWPCA Attends National Conference of State Legislatures On August 8-11, 2016 state senators and representatives from across the country met in Chicago, Illinois for their annual meeting and convention. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a bipartisan non-governmental organization that serve the members and staff of state legislatures. With grid- lock in Washington, DC at the federal level, states are taking a more active role in rulemaking at the local level. NWPCA's Vice President of Advocacy and External Affairs, Patrick Atagi, participated in several meetings at NCSL including funding for jobs in rural areas, agriculture committee discussion on trade, and exhibitions highlighting state and federal legislative and regulatory bill tracking. Atagi was also able to meet with Alabama State Representative Jack Williams, Chair of Commerce Committee, who sits on the board of "Engage Cuba," an organization that is working on promoting trade with Cuba. The issue poses an interesting proposition for the wooden pallet and container industry to develop a relationship with the Cuban government to promote trade and capture lost market share for the U.S. on several fronts, including agricultural exports. PC 10 PalletCentral • September-October 2016 palletcentral.com Maryland State Senator Susan Lee and State Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez watching the Nature's Packaging™ Video! NWPCA "Issue Briefs" with further detailed information is available at PalletCentral.com (click on the Advocacy tab).