Plan to de-bug pallets needs to be thought through: CTA

OTTAWA — The Canadian Trucking Alliance says freight transportation in North America could be crippled by a lack of pallets and other wood packaging materials (WPM) if plans to control the spread of harmful insects are not well planned and executed.

Right now, WPM moving across the Canada-U.S. border are exempt from being treated to kill insects that pose a danger to North American forests. But the United States Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has outlined a plan to eliminate that exemption.

According to the proposed rule change, pallets, dunnage, and other WPM used for North American trade would be required to be treated for bugs the same way WPM from other countries are.

In a submission to APHIS, CTA cautioned that there will be serious disruptions at land borders unless industry is given adequate time to prepare for the rule changes.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 320 million pallets used each year in transporting Canadian goods into the United States. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) plans to eliminate a similar exemption for WPM entering Canada from the United States.

“CTA takes no position on the science behind the decision to eliminate the exemption,” says CTA CEO David Bradley. “Canada and the U.S. share a common interest in protecting our forest resources, and if this means treatment of pallets and dunnage, then so be it. But at the same time, CTA’s discussions with industry and government officials have made it abundantly clear that we are simply not ready at this time to ensure that there is an adequate supply of treated WPM in circulation to meet the demands of Canada-U.S. trade, and nor has APHIS outlined detailed plans on how it will apply and enforce the rules at the border.”

According to a written submission to APHIS, CTA argued that enforcement should not begin “until APHIS and CFIA, working with industry, are satisfied that there are enough WPM compliant pallets in circulation to meet the demands of Canada – U.S. trade.”

This recommendation was echoed by the Government of Canada in its own submission, where it was noted that “a shortage of treated WPM available to business and shippers in Canada and the U.S. would have serious consequences for Canada –U.S. trade and North American competitiveness.”

The Canadian government has urged the U.S. to delay full enforcement until at least 2013.

“CTA is not trying to be obstructive, and we welcome the opportunity to work with officials in both Canada and the U.S. on how to implement this change without disrupting trade,” stated Bradley.

“CTA has seen too many examples in recent years where new measures affecting the border have been rushed, only to be withdrawn at the 11th hour when it became apparent that they were unworkable. Let’s just take the time to get this right.”