TTMA warns: Exports to US, Canada under threat

TTMA president Paul Quesnel told Newsday that failure to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention’s ISPM 15 Standard could inflict significant damage on the local manufacturing sector and threaten the job security of the 60,000 persons that the sector employs.

In a statement, the TTMA said it was very concerned about reports that the Agriculture Ministry had not put mechanisms in place to ensure ISPM 15 Standard compliance.

That standard was developed on March 15, 2002, to address the global spread of timber pest by regulating the movement of timber packing and dunnage in international trade. Quesnel said TT signed on to the convention which created ISPM 15 Standard in 2003, but the Agriculture Ministry has been dragging its feet on the issue.

Noting that several TTMA members already have shipments en route to the US and Canada (and other manufacturers have placed their export deliveries on hold), Quesnel called on Agriculture Minister Jarrette Narine to do all within his power to ensure compliance with ISPM 15 Standard. Quesnel said the situation was symptomatic of the problems with TT’s regulatory bodies which do not seem to function properly for one reason or another, and which need to be addressed "as a matter of extreme urgency."