Australia General Requirements

 

General Information

For enquires about this standard email the Plant Exports Team:

plantexports@maf.govt.nz

To help Plant Exports process your email please record in the subject line of your email descriptive keywords which are relevant to your enquiry i.e. ICPR enquiry-Country-specific details.

For urgent enquiries phone or fax the Plant Exports Team

Telephone: 0800 008 333 (selecting option 3, then option 4)
Fax: 64 4 894 0733

PHYTOSANITARY IMPORT PERMITS

Phytosanitary import permits state the phytosanitary requirements for importation

Phytosanitary import permits may be requested from:

Plants Programme Section
Quarantine and Export Operations
Australian Quarantine Inspection Service
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO Box 858
CANBERRA
ACT 2601
Telephone: 64 2 6272 4578
Facsimile:   64 2 6273 2097

Australia phytosanitary import requirements may be requested from the above address, or accessed via the internet at:

www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp

Tasmanian State phytosanitary import requirements may be accessed at:

http://www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/SSKA-7FB94Z?open

PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATES

Due to the diverse range of commodities exported to Australia, no specific guidance can be given as to all cases where a phytosanitary certificate must accompany a consignment. If a specific commodity is not identified within Section 3 and Section 4 of this standard, exporters are advised to verify requirements prior to export.

Phytosanitary certificates must accompany consignments of:

•  fresh fruit and vegetables
•  commercial consignments of cut flowers / foliage which require mandatory endorsements and or additional declarations to be met
• some genera / species of seed
• All live plant consignments (including tissue culture)

Phytosanitary certificates are not generally required for:

• non-commercial consignments of fresh flowers and foliage
• frozen fruit and vegetables
• some types of dried fruits and vegetables
  
  Exporters are advised to always verify the commodity's specific phytosanitary requirements prior to export

Where applicable, the original phytosanitary certificate for the consignment must be made available to AQIS at the time of inspection

QUARANTINE PESTS

Quarantine pests for Australia include:

• organisms identified within Quarantine Pest List, restricted and prohibited seed list and pest plant list (Australian Quarantine Proclamation 1998, links below)
•  organisms categorised by Australia as actionable in pre-clearance commodity pest lists, refer: www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/exports/plants/pre-clearance
  
  For commodities exported under pre-clearance programmes only, organisms which have not been categorised within the appropriate Pest Lists are to be regarded as ‘quarantine pests’ with a MPL of 0.5% until categorised by AQIS.
• organisms identified within additional declarations either within this ICPR or ICON or upon an Australian phytosanitary import permit

Exporters should note, Australia may categorise organisms which are non plant pests as quarantine pests

List of quarantine pests for Australia, link below (Part 7); (please note that the Australian Quarantine Proclamation 1998 is updated regularly)
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/~Quarantine1998_Vol1.pdf

List of permitted seeds (Schedule 5) in link below;
http://www.frli.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/~Quarantine1998_Vol2.pdf

List of Restricted and Prohibited Seeds and Tolerances
www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/plants-grains-hort/contaminants-tolerance

List of Pest Plants:

MAXIMUM PEST LIMITS (MPLS)

For all commodities exported to Australia requiring phytosanitary certificates the MPL’s are:

Quarantine pests* as specified by Australia	0.5%
Soil	25g/600

For commodities exported under pre-clearance programmes only, organisms which have not been categorised within the appropriate Pest Lists are to be regarded as ‘quarantine pests’ with a MPL of 0.5% until categorised by AQIS.

*Quarantine pests for Australia include:

• organisms identified within Quarantine Pest List, restricted and prohibited seed list and pest plant list (Australian Quarantine Proclamation 1998)
• organisms categorised by Australia as actionable in commodity pest lists, refer: www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/exports/plants/pre-clearance
  
  For commodities exported under pre-clearance programmes only, organisms which have not been categorised within the appropriate Pest Lists are to be regarded as ‘quarantine pests’ with a MPL of 0.5% until categorised by AQIS.
• organisms identified within additional declarations either within this ICPR or ICON or upon an Australian phytosanitary import permit

Exporters should note, Australia may categorise organisms which are non-plant pests as quarantine pests

SEED ANALYSIS CERTIFICATES (Seeds, Grains and Nuts for Sowing)

See ICON via the following link: www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp

Seed consignments over 10kgs NOT accompanied by an acceptable seed analysis certificate issued by an ISTA-accredited seed laboratory in New Zealand will be subject to mandatory sampling and analysis on arrival. Consignment will be held by AQIS in quarantine pending the results of the sampling / analysis.

• AQIS reserves the right to check-inspect, at any time, seed accompanied by a seed analysis certificate
  
  REFER also to permitted seed list.  Schedule 5 in the following link:
  
  http://www.frli.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/~Quarantine1998_Vol2.pdf
  
  and 
  
  REFER also to the restricted and prohibited seed tolerances in the following link:
  
  www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/plants-grains-hort/contaminants-tolerance

The seed analysis certificate must conform to the following requirements:

• be issued by an ISTA-accredited seed laboratory
• be endorsed that the sample has been officially drawn in accordance with ISTA rules from an identified seed lot
• be endorsed that sample was analysed in accordance with ISTA rules
• give the actual weight of the bulk sample and the working sample examined
• give the botanical name and the number of each identified species of seed found in the sample (any identified genera or species are to be recorded as such)
• give the percentage of soil particles found in the sample
• certify that none of the quarantine weed seeds as listed in Condition C7100 of the AQIS ICON import conditions (Table 2) were present in the sample.

Fruit and Vegetables

Pastinaca sativa

Parsnip

Please note:

Minute nematodes found in the stem cavity of parsnips have posed a quarantine risk for entry into Australia. Risk mitigation measures against the presence of live minute nematodes in stem cavities must be implemented and confirmed as being effective against these nematodes through the use of microscopic inspectioin techniques.

See also ICON via the following link:
http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp

SUMMERFRUIT

Please refer Workplan for the Preclearance of Summerfruit to Australia available at

www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/regs/exports/plants/summerfruit/workplan-summerfruit-australia.pdf (170 KB)

Entry into into Western Australia is PROHIBITED (except cherries) unless:

- Fruit was sourced from a MAFBNZ approved, and Summerfruit New Zealand registered, production sites as listed on MAFBNZ website. Please refer:

www.biosecurity.govt.nz/commercial-exports/plant-exports/compliance-programmes/summerfruit/production-sites

GROWING MEDIA

See also ICON via the following link:

www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp

Sphagnum spp.

Sphagnum moss

Conditions: Phytosanitary import permit and phytosanitary certificate not required.  Will be inspected and undergo mandatory treatment on arrival.  Treatment options on arrival (at the importer's expense) are either:

•    heat treated at 85oC for 12 hours
or
•    fumigated with ethylene oxide
or
•    gamma irradiated
or
•    removed and destroyed by an AQIS approved method.

If insects are found on inspection, mandatory methyl bromide fumigation will be required.

Exporters may request a dispensation to mandatory treatment upon arrival. All imported consignments that require exemption from mandatory treatment must obtain prior approval from AQIS Canberra Office.

Refer url below for further details
www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp

New Zealand companies with exemptions from mandatory treatment.

Sphagnum moss matting product exempt from mandatory fumigation manufactured by Lake View Moss Ltd.
Conditions: Phytosanitary import permit not required.  Phytosanitary certificate and additional declaration required.  Will be inspected on arrival.
Additional declaration:
"Lake View Moss Ltd matting is clean and free of viable seed"

Sphagnum moss product exempt from mandatory treatment manufactured by Just Moss from Christchurch
Conditions: Import permit not required.  Phytosanitary certificate required. Will be inspected on arrival.
Additional declaration: “The consignment is free of viable plant material” (viable plant material includes seed)

Sphagnum moss matting product exempt from mandatory treatment manufactured by Suttons Moss Ltd
Conditions: Import permit not required.  Phytosanitary certificate required. Will be inspected on arrival.
Additional declaration:  “The consignment from Suttons Moss Ltd is free of viable plant material” (viable plant material includes seed)

Sphagnum moss matting exempt from mandatory treatment manufactured by Ultragrow (New Zealand)
Conditions: Import permit not required.  Phytosanitary certificate required.. Will be inspected on arrival.
Additional declaration: “The consignment from Ultragrow (New Zealand) is free of viable plant material” (viable plant material includes seed)