Implementation pushed back to 2009

The U.S. Department of Commerce says the European Union has delayed implementation of a rule that would ban wood packing material with tree bark still attached.

The new implementation date has been set for January 1, 2009.

According to reports, the EU created the rule as an extension of the International Standard Phytosanitary Measure 15, which calls for all wood packing material to be heat-treated or fumigated to kill wood-destructive pests.

However, the U.S. and Canada countered that the unilateral EU decision could affect some $80 billion in U.S. exports to Europe.