High Value Crops - Stakeholder Update, November 2007

1 November 2007

This document is available in PDF format: Stakeholder Update November 2007 Link to PDF document (96 KB)

Information on viewing PDF files

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

MAF to Provide Level 3 Post-entry Quarantine for Tissue Culture - Consultation on Costs

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has decided to offer a limited amount of Level 3 post-entry quarantine (PEQ) space for imported tissue culture, on a fully cost-recovered basis, where these services are not offered by private industry.

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. 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.

Private industry currently provides Level 3 PEQ space for a number of crops such as grapevines and kiwifruit. However, there are a number of other crops that importers have expressed a desire to import but for which there is no Level 3 PEQ facility available in New Zealand, e.g. hazelnuts and walnuts.

The decision to provide Level 3 PEQ for tissue culture will extend the Plant Health & Environment Laboratory's activities in facilitating the importation of new germplasm. These activities currently include:

  • developing PEQ testing manuals (describing the materials and methods used to test for pests and diseases in quarantine); and
  • providing a testing service for the pre-determined tests required in PEQ (where these services are not offered by private industry).

During the recent consultation on border clearance costs (http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/publications/border-clearance-costs/index.htm (offsite link to www.maf.govt.nz)), it was proposed that "fees for Level 3 post-entry quarantine would be charged on actual and reasonable costs of tests, examination, and treatments". MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has calculated the costs for providing Level 3 PEQ for tissue culture in accordance with these principles, that is according to the time and consumables required and a proportion of the overheads. The proposed new costs are detailed in the table on the final page of this document.

You are invited to make submissions on this proposal by Friday 30 November 2007

Submitters should be aware that submissions may be the subject of requests for information under the Official Information Act 1992 (OIA). The OIA specifies that information is to be made available to requesters unless there are sufficient grounds for withholding it, as set out in the OIA. Submitters may wish to indicate grounds for withholding specific information contained in their submission, such as that the information is commercially sensitive or they wish personal information to be withheld. Any decision to withhold information requested under the OIA is reviewable by the Ombudsman.

Production of Post-entry Quarantine Testing Manuals

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has completed the post-entry quarantine (PEQ) testing manual for Castanea & Castanopsis (sweet chestnut & chinquapin) nursery stock, seed and pollen. The manual is available on our website: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/regs/imports/plants/high-value-crops/castanea-testing-manual.pdf Link to PDF document (484 KB)

Drafts of the Fragaria (strawberry) and Juglans (walnut) manuals have been completed and consultation has commenced.

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

Draft For Consultation

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand - IDC Plant Health and Environment Laboratory

Price List for Post-Entry Quarantine of Plants in Tissue Culture11 November 2007 (to be revised July 2008)

Activity Charge2
Accessioning & reporting per lot (including overheads)3 250
Provision of post-entry quarantine (per calendar month)4 165

1 These prices are for providing Level 3 Post-Entry Quarantine for plants in tissue culture. There will be additional costs for:

2 All prices are quoted in New Zealand dollars. A Goods and Services tax (GST) of 12.5% will be added to these prices.

3 Each lot (defined as "a number of units of a single commodity, identifiable by its homogeneity of composition, origin etc., forming part of a consignment [ISPM No. 5, Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms, 2007]) will be accessioned separately. Importers are encouraged to import at least 2-3 plants per lot, however no more than 10 plants may be imported per lot. The plants should be imported in separate containers, 1 plant per container.

4 The minimum quarantine periods are stated in MAF’s import health standard "Importation of Nursery Stock" (www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/ihs/155-02-06.pdf Link to PDF document (939 KB)) conditions. The nursery stock must be actively growing throughout this period. The quarantine period may be extended if material is slow growing, pests and diseases are detected or treatments required.

Examples of costs:

a) Providing 3 months of Level 3 Post-Entry Quarantine for eight plants of one variety of walnut in tissue culture = $745 + GST (Accessioning & reporting, $250 + Post-entry quarantine, $495 = $745 + GST)

b) Providing 9 months of Level 3 Post-Entry Quarantine for two varieties of cranberry in tissue culture (five plants per variety) = $3,470 + GST (Accessioning & reporting, $500 + Post-entry quarantine, $2,970 = $3,470 + GST)