Importing Seeds for sowing

The plants biosecurity index is a tool that can be used by prospective importers to identify species of plants that can be imported into New Zealand for the purpose of propagation (growing).

To be included on the index, the species must be present in New Zealand for the purposes of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (1996). To be eligible for import, the species must also be covered by a valid import health standard.

The plants biosecurity index is not intended as a list of every species that is present in New Zealand.

The approved species listed on the Plants Biosecurity Index can be searched by either the genus or the species name. You can choose to enter only parts of the name; just the genus; just the species; or both the genus and species.

The search function is case insensitive, so you do not need to worry about using capital letters. However, you do need to check that the spelling is correct.

Once you have entered the name you want to search, click on the “Search Now” button. The results of your search will be displayed.

The search should return three columns at the bottom of the screen. The first column lists the scientific name, the middle column lists the import specification for seed for sowing, and the column on the right lists the import specification for nursery stock. Once your results are displayed, you will need to check that the species you want to import is listed.

Scroll down the search results until you find the species you want to import. Then, go across to the import specification for seed for sowing.

Species listed with a seed for sowing import specification of “Basic” are eligible for import as seed for sowing. Next, determine the import requirements.

Species listed with a seed for sowing import specification of “see 155.02.05 under xxx” are eligible for import as seed for sowing. Next, determine the import requirements. Note: “xxx” indicates that specific requirements must be met for this species.

Species listed with a seed for sowing import specification of “Requires Assessment” are not eligible for import as seed for sowing, as they are not covered by the seed for sowing import health standard. Note: these species may be eligible for import as nursery stock.

Species listed with a seed for sowing import specification of “Entry Prohibited” are not eligible for import as seed for sowing or nursery stock, as they are prohibited entry into New Zealand.

For intraspecific hybrids (hybrids that are crosses of the same parent species), the parent species must be listed on the plants biosecurity index.

For interspecific hybrids (hybrids that are crosses of multiple parent species), all species within the parentage must be listed on the plants biosecurity index with a valid seed for sowing import specification. However in some cases, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has determined that any interspecific hybrid within the genus may be imported into New Zealand. Currently this is limited to the following genera:

Some species are listed on the plants biosecurity index with synonyms. If you search on the synonym name, the result in the species column will look a bit different, and the import specification columns will be blank.

Example: If you search for Ampelopsis veitchii the search results will list the scientific name as “Ampelopsis veitchii (=Parthenocissus tricuspid). This means that the import specification will be listed under the entry for Parthenocissus tricuspidata.

You will need to search the index for the scientific name listed in the brackets to determine the import specification.

Species not listed on the plants biosecurity index are not eligible for import into New Zealand for propagation purposes, as they are not covered by a valid import health standard, the biosecurity risks may have not yet been assessed, and they may be new organisms. You will need to contact the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA ) to get the species added to the plants biosecurity index in the following instances:

• Determination of presence; for species present in New Zealand immediately prior to July 1998.
• Determination that the species is a synonym of another species that is already approved for import into New Zealand.
• Approval of a new organism, including genetically modified organisms.

Enquiries can be made to the new organisms group at EPA via noinfo@epa.govt.nz or phone +64 4 918 1489. Further information can be viewed on the EPA website .

Important note: New species approved by EPA for addition to the plants biosecurity, and species listed as “Requires Assessment” will require the completion of a plant health risk assessment and development of an import health standard to determine the import requirements, prior to import.

The seed for sowing must meet the legal requirements prescribed in Part A: General Requirements of the Import Health Standard: 155-02-05 Seed for Sowing (637 KB). The legal requirements include:

• Each type of seed in a consignment must be clearly identified (and labelled on packaging) with its scientific name (genus and species).
• Seed for sowing may be imported from any country.
• A permit to import is not required.
• Packaging associated with seed must be clean, free from soil and other contaminants.
• Any seed from fleshy fruits shall have all traces of flesh removed, with the exception of Orchidaceae seed which may be imported in dry/green pods.
• The seed may be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of the exporting country.
• The seed may be accompanied by a Seed Analysis Certificate (SAC), documenting the status of the seed with respect to quarantine impurities.
• On arrival in New Zealand the consignment will undergo inspection by a MPI Inspector to verify that the seed for sowing and associated documentation is compliant with the requirements of the import health standard. For accompanied seed (entering with air passengers), the seed will need to be declared on the Arrival Card when arriving in New Zealand.
• No seed lot will be given biosecurity clearance if it contains unidentified seed, regulated organisms, in excess of 0.1% by weight of soil particles, or seed of any species listed in the Schedule of Regulated (Quarantine) Weed Seeds. Biosecurity Clearance is at the discretion of the MAF inspector.

Note: “xxx” identifies the specific schedule that must be met

Example: Citrus aurantifolia has a seed for sowing import specification of “155.02.05 under Citrus”, which means this species must meet the general requirements, and the specific requirements of the Citrus schedule.

The seed must meet the legal requirements prescribed in the general requirements (Part A) and the requirements of the indicated Schedule of Specific Conditions (Part B) of the Import Health Standard: 155-02-05 Seed for Sowing (637 KB). The legal requirements include:

• The seed for sowing is only eligible for import from the approved countries listed on the specific schedule.
• Each type of seed in a consignment must be clearly identified with its scientific name (genus and species).
• Packaging associated with seed must be clean, free from soil and other contaminants.
• Any seed from fleshy fruits shall have all traces of flesh removed, with the exception of Orchidaceae seed which may be imported in dry/green pods.
• The seed must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of the exporting country.
• The seed may be accompanied by a Seed Analysis Certificate (SAC), documenting the status of the seed with respect to quarantine impurities.
• Requirements will be identified in the specific schedule, which may include fungicide treatments, additional declarations required on the phytosanitary certificate, a period of growth in a post entry quarantine facility with inspections; and may include testing for specified pests.
• On arrival in New Zealand the consignment will be inspected to ensure the documentation conforms to the requirements of the import health standard, and the seed will be inspected to ensure freedom from visually detectable pests and disease.
• No seed lot will be given biosecurity clearance if it contains unidentified seed, regulated organisms, in excess of 0.1% by weight of soil particles, or seed of any species listed in the Schedule of Regulated (Quarantine) Weed Seeds.

Depending on the importance of the crop and the severity of the potentially associated pests and diseases, imported seed and plants may be released at the border (e.g. many vegetable seeds) or following post-entry quarantine (PEQ). Many important crops (e.g. apple budwood or seed, kiwifruit seed, potato tissue culture) must be imported into the most contained level of PEQ (Level 3). Level 3 is the most stringent, and is reserved for important crops and/or plants that may be infected by the most damaging pests and diseases. More information on the importation of High Value Crops, including arrangements for post-entry quarantine is available here. A full list of the seeds and nursery stock which require Level 3 PEQ may be found here (57 KB).

Any additional declarations required for seed in a specific schedule must also be provided for pelleted seed.

Samples for seed analysis may be drawn before or after the seed is pelleted. For samples drawn prior to pelleting, the pelleted seed is to be accompanied by the Seed Analysis Certificate (SAC) issued for the seed lot from which the seed sample was drawn. The phytosanitary certificate is to include a declaration that the pelleted seed is from the same lot of seed as the accompanying SAC.

For samples drawn after pelleting or when pelleted seed is not accompanied by correct documentation, a random sample of 10% or 25 seed, whichever is smaller, is to be drawn and the seed “coating” removed by physical cracking or washing to ensure no restricted seed or other contaminants are pelletised.

All private consignments (not for resale) of seed in hermetically sealed containers/packages shall be inspected on arrival for contamination and/or signs of pest and disease.

All lines of commercial consignments of seed in hermetically sealed containers/packages shall be sampled for inspection as specified in the sampling plan below. A “line” is a species sourced from any one supplier from one country per consignment.

Further sampling will be required where packets are not intact, or where the contents can be seen without opening and are considered to be inconsistent with the labelling.

A list of all species in the mixture is to accompany the consignment. The entry requirements for each species in the mixture are to be met.

Testing for the presence of genetically modified seed is required for the following specific species and varieties: Brassica napus var. oleifera, Glycine max, Medicago sativa and Zea mays. For information on genetically modified (GM) sampling and testing protocols, including approved testing laboratories, please refer to the following MPI biosecurity website: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/imports/plants/gmo.

Only original or pdf versions of GM seed testing certificates are acceptable. Importers of consignments that arrive without GM seed testing certificates as required by this import health standard have the following four options available to them:

• reshipment
• destruction
• have the consignment sampled and the sample forwarded to an approved testing laboratory to determine if GM material is present
• apply for a Permit to Import to grow seed in Post-Entry Quarantine (PEQ)

The current testing protocol offers the option of importing from areas considered free of commercial GM production. This is known as ‘area freedom’ and is granted on a crop:country basis. No such areas have been assessed and granted at this time. Importers should not use area freedom as a reason for no GM seed test certificates being presented.

It is expected that seed for sowing will be compliant with the requirements of the import health standard in every respect.

However, if prior to import the importer is aware that the seed for sowing will not be compliant with the import health standard; the importer may submit to MPI an application for equivalence. The equivalence request must be submitted in the form of a permit to import application. Information must be supplied by the importer that identifies how the seed for sowing will be equivalent to the import health standard.

Where equivalence is granted, the equivalent import requirements will be identified on a permit to import.

The following circumstances may be assessed for equivalence:

• Testing for a specified pest as an alternative to a “pest free area” or “pest free place of production” additional declaration from the exporting national plant protection organisation
• A “pest free area” declaration as an alternative to testing for a specified pest.
• The use of a newly developed testing method, or internationally recognised testing method, as an alternative to a test identified in a specific schedule.

Seed for sowing exported from New Zealand, given clearance into the importing country or rejected prior to clearance, may be returned to New Zealand under the following circumstances:

Seed for sowing “unopened” offshore

Product in its original packaging is permitted entry into New Zealand with a re-export phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of the overseas country.

Seed for sowing “opened” offshore

Seed for sowing inspected offshore, and rejected for any reason, is permitted entry into New Zealand.

If seed is grown and packed in New Zealand, importers must provide sufficient evidence of the seed’s origin and security to a MPI inspector. Evidence of origin and security may include inspection of documentation (e.g. phytosanitary re-export certificate, NZ export documentation and destination country import certification) and inspection of the actual goods to confirm the packaging and labelling matches up with the documentation.

If seed is grown in New Zealand, sent bulk to another country, packaged in that same country and returned to New Zealand, the importer must provide the following:

A New Zealand issued phytosanitary certificate, and
An export bill of lading, and

A declaration by the packing company manager stating that the returning seed is the same seed received in the consignment covered by the attached phytosanitary certificate and bill of lading, and the quality system used by the company ensures that seed from NZ is not contaminated by any other seed lots, residues from grading or packaging machines, or storage pests.

Seed for sowing imported for the purpose of re-export that requires biosecurity clearance, must meet the requirements of the Import Health Standard: 155-02-05 Seed for Sowing (637 KB).

Seed for sowing imported for the purpose of re-export with the intention of not gaining biosecurity clearance, may occur on a case by case basis. These requests must be submitted in the form of a permit to import application. Information must be supplied by the importer that identifies how the seed for sowing will be maintained in post entry quarantine prior to re-export. Where a permit is granted, the pre-export requirements, requirements in post entry quarantine, and requirements for re-export will be identified on a permit to import.

Seed for sowing imported as laboratory specimens, without biosecurity clearance to enter New Zealand, may occur on a case by case basis.

A request to import seed for sowing as laboratory specimens must be submitted in the form of a permit to import application. Information must be supplied by the importer that identifies how the seed for sowing will be maintained in post entry quarantine, or another MPI approved facility (i.e. containment facility). Where granted, the pre-export requirements and requirements in post entry quarantine (or other facilities) will be identified on a permit to import.

New organisms approved by EPA for addition to the plants biosecurity index, or GMO’s approved for import into containment, will require the completion of a plant health risk assessment prior to import. It is advised that the requestor contacts the MPI Plant Imports team to discuss the likely biosecurity requirements, timeframes, and associated costs with importing new organisms and GMO’s.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the international trade and movement of animals and plant species that have been, or may be, threatened due to excessive commercial exploitation. For more information on possible seed species covered under CITES, please refer to the Department of Conservation’s CITES website .

In general, the importation of endangered species into New Zealand is regulated under this Convention and must be accompanied by a valid CITES export permit issued by the appropriate management authority in the country of export. The Department of Conservation is responsible for managing CITES species in New Zealand, including providing information on how to obtain CITES permits.

A permit to import is required for all seed for sowing entering post entry quarantine, and in other cases where specified in the import health standard.

To apply for a permit, complete the application for permit to import seed for sowing.

The completed form should be returned to Plant Imports, our contact details can be found on the back page of the permit application, where requirements will be checked before the permit to import is issued. Allow a minimum of 10 working days for processing.

Once issued, the permit to import will be sent as a PDF document to the email address of the importer, where this is supplied on the permit application. A copy of the permit to import may need to be supplied to the exporter, so that the exporting National Plant Protection Organisation can confirm that the seed for sowing conforms to New Zealand’s import requirements where a phytosanitary certificate is needed. A copy of the permit to import must accompany the consignment to New Zealand, so the MPI Inspectors are aware of the specific requirements for the consignment, i.e. which post entry quarantine facility the seeds will be held in during the quarantine period.

Note: MPI reserves the right to issue a permit to import with amended import requirements, or to refuse issuance of a permit to import, where there has been a recent change in circumstances, or change in the state of knowledge, in regard to a particular pathway. The importer will be notified by MAF if this occurs.

See a register of permits issued for the import of germplasm (nursery stock and seed for sowing) into New Zealand since 1 July 2012.

A phytosanitary certificate must accompany all consignments of seed for sowing imported into New Zealand, with the exception of seed that does not have requirements listed in the Schedule of Special Conditions. The phytosanitary certificate is issued by the national plant protection organisation in the exporting country.

The phytosanitary certificate shall contain all information as detailed in the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures, Publication No. 12 (May 2001) – Guidelines for Phytosanitary Certificates .

Where specified in the import health standard, and the permit to import (where appropriate), the exporting National Plant Protection Organisation shall certify that all pre-export requirements have been met, and the seed for sowing conforms to New Zealand’s import requirements.

Required additional declarations shall be endorsed in the “Additional Declaration” section of the certificate, and treatment details (where completed prior to export) shall be recorded in the “Disinfestation and/or Disinfection Treatment” section of the certificate.

Phytosanitary certificates may be bilingual, but must include an English translation.

All seed for sowing must be clearly identified with the scientific name (genus and species). The genus and species may be recorded in any of the following places:

• on the phytosanitary certificate.
• any other documentation that accompanies the consignment (i.e. an invoice from the exporter).
• the outside of packaging/boxes, where seeds of the same species are packaged together.