Wood packaging import rules: Sri Lanka

ISPM 15 on imports

Required

Enforced since

2010

Treatments

HT, MB, DH, SF (ISPM 15 approved treatments)

Plant protection authority

National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), Department of Agriculture

Common pallet sizes

1200 × 1000 mm
1100 × 1100 mm
1200 × 800 mm

Main ports

Colombo, Hambantota, Galle, Trincomalee

Overview

Sri Lanka's plant import controls are handled by the National Plant Quarantine Service, a unit of the Department of Agriculture based at Katunayake close to Colombo's airport. The country has plant protection legislation dating from 1999 and is an IPPC member, so ISPM 15 is the expected benchmark for pallets and crates. Sri Lanka appears on the USDA APHIS list of countries that have stated in writing that they require ISPM 15 wood packaging, and the Australian Department of Agriculture implementation table gives a date of enforcement of 8 March 2010, so the requirement is recorded as yes. We did not reach the Sri Lankan legal text itself, so confirm details with the quarantine service. In practice Colombo, the island's main port and a significant transhipment hub for India and South Asia, receives container cargo on pallets that were stamped at origin, and quarantine staff can inspect or fumigate cargo found with pests. The pallet market is small and not standardised, serving garment exporters, tea and rubber goods, and import distribution. Where pallets are used, 1200 × 1000 mm and 1100 × 1100 mm are most typical, with 1200 × 800 mm in some European-linked goods. Pallet pooling is hardly present, and local carpenters and sawmills supply most one-way wooden pallets. Exporters to the EU, US and Australia rely on heat treatment facilities to obtain a mark for outgoing goods, so heat-treated pallets are known to local industry even where import checks are lighter.

Key points

• NPQS (National Plant Quarantine Service) is based in Katunayake near the main airport
• Listed by USDA APHIS; Australia's DAFF records enforcement from 8 March 2010
• Plant Protection Act No. 35 of 1999 is the likely legal basis (not verified)
• Colombo is a major transhipment hub for the Indian subcontinent

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. IPPC country page – Sri Lanka
2. IPPC – country pages index
3. USDA APHIS – Countries That Require ISPM-15 Compliant Wood Packaging
4. Australian Dept of Agriculture – ISPM 15 implementation dates by country

Import rules change. Confirm current requirements with the national plant protection organization or your importer before shipping. This page is general information, not legal advice.