Exporting pallets to Australia

Two layers, not one

Treatment and marking in line with ISPM15 is the starting point for solid wood packaging entering Australia. On top of that sits a biosecurity regime concerned with contamination generally — soil, seeds, plant material, insects, animal matter and residues, anywhere on or in the consignment including the pallet.

This is the crucial difference from a US or EU movement. A correctly treated and marked pallet that is caked in yard mud can still cause a biosecurity intervention, because the problem is the mud rather than the timber.

Cleanliness is a specification, not an aspiration

For Australian-bound freight, treat pallet cleanliness as part of the order. Pallets stored outdoors on soil, pallets with bark attached, pallets carrying seeds or plant debris in the joints, and pallets with visible insect activity all create risk that lands on your consignee as delay and cost.

Practically, this is one of the clearer cases for new or clean, indoor-stored pallets over general yard stock, even where the price difference looks unattractive on paper. Intervention on arrival costs considerably more than the pallets.

Consequences on arrival

Where a biosecurity concern is identified, the outcomes available to the authorities include inspection, cleaning, treatment, re-export or destruction of the packaging, at the importer's cost, with the consignment held while it is resolved. On a time-sensitive shipment the delay is usually the bigger loss.

Before you load

The checks that matter here are physical and visual, and they take minutes on the loading bay.

• Treated and marked wood packaging, marks legible on opposing faces
• No soil, mud, bark, seeds, plant debris, nests or insect activity
• Dry pallets — damp timber over a long transit invites mould
• Bracing and dunnage held to the same standard as the pallets
• Container floor and walls inspected before packing
• Photographs of the pallets and marks kept on file

Where to confirm the current position

Australian requirements are published by its agriculture department and are detailed and specific. For anything your shipment depends on, work from that source and from a forwarder experienced on the route — this is not a market to improvise in.