Interceptions of pests in wooden packaging at Port of Santos

Abstract

Due to the risk of introduction of new pests through the import of wooden packaging and pallets, this study analyses the intercepted pests in these materials at Port of Santos from 2015 to 2017 in order to provide information to risk management. Data was organized in relation to country of provenance, category of pests, orders and families of pests and seasonality of occurrence. The study shows that 18% of the interceptations were quarantine pests absent in Brazil, for exemple, Tremex spp., Hylotrupes bajulus, the genus Monochamus, Heterobostrychus aequalis and the genus Sinoxylon. Among the cases of quarantine pest interceptions, India was responsible for 57% of them. Bostrichidae Family was the most representative, mainly from India, between May and August. The study concludes that the import of wooden packaging and pallets is risky because may carry pests of economic impact in significant amounts; that these risks may be identified using data collection and analysis, guiding the actions of plant protection; that the implementation of public policies to allow the adoption of national risk management systems would be beneficial to importers and to plant safety.