News & Publications

It’s Buggy Out There

Typically, when one thinks about the responsibilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), eliminating insects doesn’t readily come to mind as one of their duties. However, the agency recently intercepted a shipment containing a species of long-horned beetles and globular springtail insects at the Charleston Seaport. The shipment, which originated in Italy, contained insects in differing stages of development and were found inside the wood and plastic wrap.

The reason CBP provides this support is because non-indigenous insects can potentially do massive damage to the environment, agricultural sector, and the overall economy.  According to a report from the South Carolina Forestry Commission the state’s hardwood trees produce $21 billion annually in economic output. Introducing pests that will harm these resources would be devastating. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that the escape of the Asian longhorn beetle into the wild could result in a loss of over a quarter of the nation’s trees.  

In 2016, the CBP detected “404 pests at U.S. ports of entry and 4,638 materials for quarantine: plant, meat, animal byproduct, and soil.”

There are however things a shipper can do to ensure that they do not put their shipment and the environment at risk. One of these is to use wood packing material that is compliant with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) to help a shipper protect against pests. In fact, over 70 nations globally have adopted ISPM 15 as the standard for wood packing materials.

If you are experiencing delays, or if you have any questions about your company’s compliance with ISPM standards, please contact Allyn International at sales@allynintl.com.

 

Pamela Leever


About Allyn International

Allyn International is dedicated to providing high quality, customer centric services and solutions for the global marketplace. Allyn's core products include transportation management, logistics sourcing, freight forwarding, supply chain consulting, tax management and global trade compliance.  Allyn clients range from small local businesses to Fortune 500 firms. Allyn conducts business in more than 20 languages and has extensive experience in both developed and emerging markets. Highly trained experts are positioned throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Allyn’s regional headquarters are strategically located in Fort Myers, FL U.S.A, Shanghai, P.R. China and Prague, Czech Republic. For more information, log on to www.allynintl.com.


Resources:

https://www.ajot.com/news/charleston-cbp-intercepts-two-invasive-pests

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISPM_15

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/typical-day-fy2016

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Apr/cbpsnapshot-april2017.pdf

https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/invasive_species/alb/local-resources/docs/ALB_potential.pdf

 

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