High Value Crops - Stakeholder Update, July 2009

15 July 2009

Developments in Post-Entry Quarantine Activities for High-value Crops

Provision of Level 3 Post-Entry Quarantine services

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. The import requirements for plants are determined by MAF Biosecurity New Zealand and include inspection, testing or treatment, overseas, at the New Zealand border and/or in post-entry quarantine (PEQ). Further information about these requirements may be found at:

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 prices associated with the provision of Level 3 PEQ services are based on the actual and reasonable costs. These costs are detailed on our website:

a) Provision of PEQ space:

b) Provision of PEQ testing:

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.

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has already provided quarantine for a number of private importers and the first plants to be released were disease-free clones of a commercial kumara variety. These plants were released in December 2008; this is the first time in more than ten years that new germplasm of this crop has been imported into New Zealand. We are currently quarantining plants of blackcurrant and strawberry, which again have not been imported for many years.

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand is also collaborating with other suppliers by providing testing for crops such as apples, blueberry and kiwifruit which are being held in private PEQ facilities.

Production of Post-Entry Quarantine Testing Manuals

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has completed the post-entry quarantine testing manuals for Citrus (lemon, mandarin, orange), Corylus (hazelnut), Fragaria (strawberry) and Malus (apple) tissue culture, seed and pollen.

The manuals are available on our website:

Citrus PEQ Testing Manual

Corylus PEQ Testing Manual

Fragaria PEQ Testing Manual

Malus PEQ Testing Manual

The draft of the Humulus (hop) testing manual has been consulted on and will be finalised shortly. The priorities for future testing manuals are as follows:
1. Rubus (berries)
2. Olea (olive)
3. Prunus (cherry, peach, plum)
4. Quercus (oak)

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 periodically 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 Biosecurity New Zealand’s PEQ team can be contacted at: peqtesting@maf.govt.nz