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Cargo Integrity Group calls for urgent action on pests

[ July 26, 2021   //   ]

The Cargo Integrity Group – the Container Owners Association, Global Shippers Forum, ICHCA International, TT Club and the World Shipping Council – are calling for urgent action to reduce the risk of pest transference through international cargo movements.

It follows a declaration by pest control experts under the auspices of the International Plant Protection Convention  calling for all-encompassing, internationally imposed steps to mitigate such risks including the mandatory certification of cleanliness for all containers prior to loading on board ship, a measure that would have significant impact on global trade when it comes to both time and cost.

Senior vice president of the World Shipping Council (WSC), Lars Kjaer, explained the CIG partners’ concerns around these very broad proposals: “We know that more serious risks occur among certain types of goods and from identified regions. The CIG recommendation centres on the need to provide proper risk assessments in defined trades and focus mandatory measures on these high-risk areas and cargoes.”

CIG partners are committed to ensuring that international trade is conducted in a safe, secure, and environmentally sustainable manner including promotion of theCode of Practice for the Packing of Cargo Transport Units published by the IMO, the UNECE and the ILO (the CTU Code).

The serious issue of the transfer of invasive pests between different natural ecosystems is very much a part of this commitment. It is also crucial that the development of any such controls is undertaken in full consultation with other appropriate bodies, in particular the international agencies responsible for the governance of world trade and for the regulation of different modes of transport, as well as supply chain stakeholders and industry practitioners.

“There are identified risk areas and cargoes which must be addressed, and the CIG partners look forward to contributing essential industry expertise to the work of the IPPC to ensure an effective and efficient set of recommendations and best practices to stop the transfer of invasive species,” concluded secretary general of Global Shippers Forum, James Hookham.

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