High Value Crops - Stakeholder Update, July 2008
24 July 2008
Developments in Post-Entry Quarantine Activities for High-value Crops
MAF is now providing Level 3 Post-Entry Quarantine for tissue culture
All plants imported into New Zealand must meet certain requirements to ensure that damaging pests and diseases are not inadvertently imported in association with the plants. Requirements include inspection, testing or treatment of the plants, prior to export, upon arrival at the New Zealand border or (most commonly) in post-entry quarantine (PEQ). There are three levels of PEQ in New Zealand. The most stringent, Level 3, is reserved for important crops and/or plants that may be infected by the most damaging pests and diseases.
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand is now providing a service for the importation of tissue culture in Level 3 PEQ, on a fully cost-recovered basis, where these services are not offered by private industry.
The costs associated with the Level 3 PEQ for tissue culture are charged on the actual and reasonable costs of tests, examination, and treatments. The costs are detailed on our website:
The following plant genus/species are eligible to be imported as tissue culture: Actinidia, Allium, Aronia, Asparagus, Camellia, Carica, Castanea, Castanopsis, Citrus, Corylus, Diospyros, Fortunella, Fragaria, Hippeastrum, Humulus, Ipomoea, Iris, Juglans, Juniperus, Lilium, Machilus, Malus, Olea, Persea, Planera, Platycarya, Poncirus, Prunus, Pyrus, Ribes, Rubus, Solanum, Tulipa, Ulmus, Vaccinium, Vitis, Zantedeschia and Zelkova.
Testing during PEQ is done in accordance with the Import Health Standard and any additional requirements described in the Import Permit accompanying the consignment.
Production of Post-Entry Quarantine Testing Manuals
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has completed the post-entry quarantine testing manuals for Juglans (walnut) and Pyrus (pear) tissue culture, seed and pollen. The manuals are available on our website:
Juglans http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/regs/imports/plants/high-value-crops/juglans-testing-manual.pdf 
(1176 KB)
Pyrus http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/regs/imports/plants/high-value-crops/pyrus-testing-manual.pdf (673 KB)
Drafts of the Fragaria (strawberry), Humulus (hop) and Malus (apple) testing manuals have been completed and will be finalised shortly. Testing manuals for Citrus (citrus) and Corylus (hazelnut) are being drafted; they will be ready for consultation within the next few months.
Refer to http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/imports/plants/high-value-crops for other PEQ manuals.
Future updates
We plan to e-mail stakeholder updates every three-four months to keep you informed of our progress and other relevant material. These updates will also be available on our website: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/imports/plants/high-value-crops.
If you do not wish to receive these updates, please reply to this e-mail asking to be removed from the mailing list. If you know of others who might be interested in these updates, please let us know and we will add them to the mailing list. MAF BNZ’s PEQ team can be contacted at: peqtesting@maf.govt.nz