Streamlining cross-border shipping of live invertebrates.

Abstract

The logistics of shipping live invertebrates should be straightforward: it requires timely delivery and packaging that ensures survival and confinement. The packaging is the responsibility of the shipper, whose interest is to maintain the product's quality during shipment and to ensure that no specimens escape. Timely delivery relies on the ability of the shipping agent to organise an efficient route of transport and carriers to fulfil their function effectively. This article explores this underserviced sector. While similar logistics capacity exists for other goods that require fast delivery (such as vaccines and fresh food), stakeholders who require live invertebrate shipping often have difficulties in finding transporters able or willing to handle such services. The authors bring examples from biocontrol, showing the current complexity and inconsistency of logistics. For some countries and stakeholders, this issue can be a significant barrier to the growth of a sustainable biocontrol sector. The authors also explore misconceptions (about packaging, liability and paperwork) and unclear rules (such as requiring generic veterinary certificates that are rarely relevant for invertebrates) that may cause express courier companies to refuse carrying live invertebrates. These issues often result in packages not being handled as a priority during transport connections or customs clearance, and significant delivery delays. The authors propose improvements that could streamline transport through changes that fit within existing shipping processes. This article is furthermore intended as a call to transport and inspection stakeholders to use the existing guidance and other resources to support this underdeveloped sector more effectively.