Variation in Inspection Efficacy by Member States of Wood Packaging Material Entering the European Union

Abstract

The use of wood packaging materials (WPMs) in international trade is recognized as a pathway for the movement of invasive pests and as the origin of most introductions of Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Europe and North America. Following several pest interceptions on WPM associated with stone imports from China, the European Union (EU) agreed to survey certain categories of imports based on the EU Combined Nomenclature Codes for imports, which are based on the international Harmonized System. Between April 2013 and March 2015, 72,263 relevant consignments were received from China in the EU and 26,008 were inspected. Harmful organisms were detected in 0.9% of the consignments, and 1.1% of the imports did not have markings compliant with the international standard for treating WPM, ISPM 15. There were significant differences between the detection rates of harmful organisms among EU member states. In member states that inspected at least 500 consignments, the rate of detection ranged from 6.9% in Austria and France to 0.0% in Spain and Poland. If this difference in detection rate is the result of differences in the methods and intensity of inspection in different member states then an approximate sevenfold increase in the interception of harmful organisms may be achieved if all states were to achieve detection rates achieved by Austria and France. The EU data from 1999 to 2014 indicated an increasing number of interceptions of Bostrichidae and Cerambycidae since 2010. This study demonstrates that there is an ongoing threat of non-native forest pests being imported on WPM.

Ant interceptions reveal roles of transport and commodity in identifying biosecurity risk pathways into Australia

“…Overall trends in ant interceptions did not increase along with trends of transport / trade into Australia through the same time period. This pattern suggests that either the number of ants being transported per voyage has changed, decreasing from 2004-2010, or that the proportion of ant transport events that are detected has changed (e.g., Eyre et al 2018). There is some evidence for the latter; due to occurrence overseas of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, there was an increase in biosecurity effort in 2000-2002 such that 100% of imported containers were checked externally (Adam Broadley pers.…”

Preventing invasions of Asian longhorn beetle and citrus longhorn beetle: are we on the right track?

“…Eyre and colleagues (2018) observed that the highest detection rates were achieved in Austria and France, whereas in Spain and Poland, despite the inspection of more than 500 consignments, no harmful organisms were detected. The authors suggested that harmonizing the inspection procedures to the most effective methodology may lead to an approximate sevenfold increase in the number of interceptions of invasive pests across all member states (Eyre et al 2018). A study on relationships between interceptions and establishments of Cerambycidae (including ALB and CLB) found that there is a significant positive relationship overall between these parameters (Brockerhoff et al 2014), which highlights the potential usefulness of recording interception data from inspections of relevant imports.…”

Common pathways by which non-native forest insects move internationally and domestically

“…There have been strong global efforts in recent years to reduce the risk of international movement of plant pests by the pathways discussed here. The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is the main organization that sets global standards for plant health (Allen et al 2017 (Eyre et al 2018;Wu et al 2017). Such interceptions could indicate issues such as ineffective treatment standards, faulty equipment, or fraud (Haack et al 2014).…”

“…Such interceptions could indicate issues such as ineffective treatment standards, faulty equipment, or fraud (Haack et al 2014). Interception records of insects associated with WPM also vary among countries, likely reflecting differences in trading partners and inspection protocols (Eyre et al 2018). For example, the USA historically placed more emphasis on insects that infest living trees rather than dead trees or processed wood, which resulted in inspectors reporting true bark beetles (which often infest live trees) more often than ambrosia beetles, Anobiidae and Bostrichidae (which often infest dead trees or lumber) (Haack 2001(Haack , 2006.…”