Information on the inspection of imported wood

The Austrian Plant Protection Act is based on EU Directive 2000/29/EU and defines

• Measures to protect against the movement of (dangerous) harmful organisms of all kinds of plants and plant products;

• Prohibition of the import of quarantine pests and of plants (wood) which may act as host plants or transport media, and

• Import restrictions and/or specific requirements for the import of potential host plants.

The annexes to this Directive 2000/29/EU list

• Quarantine pests,
• Plants and plant products subject to import bans,
• Plants and plant products subject to phytosanitary certification and inspection on import into the EU.

Requirements on roundwood upon import into Austria (into the EU)

The most important steps:

1. Notification of the import – information of the phytosanitary service in order to fix a date for the inspection,
2. Document control, identity control, certificate control,
3. Verification of the importer’s registration number,
4. Verification of the consignment,
5. In case of complaints (infestation, boreholes, improper handling) - sampling and rejection or destruction,
6. Issue of the notice of fees,
7. Stamping of the phytosanitary certificate (release or prohibition),
8. Copy of the main transport documents and retention of the stamped phytosanitary certificate.

Performance of the control

1. Document control
2. Identity control
3. Certificate control: Comparison of the information on the freight documents with that on the certificate; is the certificate in conformity with the law?
   (Date of issue, EU language) - possible reason for refusal
4. Verification of the registration number:  Any importer, whether professional or not, of goods listed in Annex V, Part B, of Directive 2000/29/EU or in Annex 2 of the Plant Protection Ordinance 2011, must be listed in the official register of the relevant Federal Province with a corresponding number.