In the month of May U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at the Port of New Orleans discovered two separate non-compliant cargo shipments from South America. The first shipment was gum rosin from Brazil. Rosin comes from the oleoresin of living pine trees by distilling off the turpentine. It has a wide variety of uses, and is an ingredient in printing inks, photocopying, varnishes, adhesives, soda, soldering fluxes, and sealing wax. The second shipment was lumber with bark still attached, shipped from Suriname.
What these two shipments had in common was their wood packing materials lacked International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) 15 stamps. The IPPC has an international standard for wood packaging material to certify that it has been subjected to an approved treatment measure. This treatment is required due to the significant pest risk associated with untreated packing materials. Dangerous insects and their larvae can be burrowed into the wood materials and can escape the ship or port and invade the nearby environment. The IPCC 15 stamp must be visible and meet an approved design standard.
The two non-compliant wood packing materials and lumber with bark were placed in containers to be re-exported back to Brazil and Suriname.
There are a variety of reasons a shipper may not have IPCC 15 stamps. However, a smart shipper will know to ensure the stamp is showing appropriately, and a high-volume shipper should know about them. A low volume shipper or new importer may not know about the stamps because they did not do the proper research.
CBP may issue a penalty for the missing stamps, but usually brokers are swift to manipulate or re-export the non-compliant shipment. The costs incurred by the importer while they wait to get the shipment re-exported adds up quickly in the port, and there are daily container charges. The shipper may accept the return and the costs, but the importer also must take responsibility for the costs if their shipper does not agree to the return.
CBP does not always issue a penalty as there are already costs to the importer when re-exporting the shipment. Penalties may be issued if shippers are not acting to re-export the shipment in a timely manner.
“Inspecting wood packing materials of otherwise lawful shipments is one of the many, lesser known ways Office of Field Operations helps keep our country safe,” said New Orleans Area Port Director Terri Edwards. “It’s not the near-instant death of a narcotic like fentanyl, but an invasive species can gradually wreak havoc on the environment and our economy. Just look at the U.S. Forest Service’s list of invasive insects that have had a significant impact on the forests of North America. I am proud of our agriculture specialists for recognizing these potentially dangerous materials.” 
These seizures took place within the New Orleans Field Office, which covers ports of entry throughout the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee.
Follow CBP on Twitter @CBPGulfCoast and @DFONewOrleans
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June 16, 2021 at 10:47PM
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The Unknown Danger of Wood Packing Materials: Two May Seizures, Port of New Orleans - Customs and Border Protection
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