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Import Conditions

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Case: Packing materials and packaging of plants Effective 26 Jun 2019 to 21 Nov 2019

Import Conditions

Import conditions define the biosecurity requirements which must be met for your import. Where import conditions have been developed, they will be listed below.

Information

The following information relates to material used as packaging around nursery stock. For timber packing refer to the BICON commodity case Timber and bamboo packaging. The following information does not relate to plants imported in growth plugs. For plants imported in growth plugs please refer to the BICON case for the genus/species being imported.


Note: For peat packaging for imported bulbs please refer to the appropriate bulb case.

  1. The department prefers that plants are imported bare rooted; however packing material can be used to help decrease the risk of damage to the plant during transport to Australian territory.

  2. The following packaging materials are acceptable media for transport of plant material to Australian territory as long as they are not contaminated with live insects, soil, faeces, contaminant seed, other plant material, animal debris or other biosecurity risk material:

    Buckwheat hulls (Fagopyrum esculentum)

    Plastic foam

    Cardboard

    Sawdust ♦

    Cellulose wadding

    Shredded clean paper

    Charcoal

    Synthetic material

    Damp paper

    Wood shavings ♦

    Granulated cork

    Wood wool ♦

    Perlite

    Vermiculite

    Peat moss

    Sphagnum moss

    • Leaching of tannins from these materials during transit may be detrimental to the health and survival of plants.

  3. Plants should not arrive established in the packaging media as this may cause severe damage to the plants when packaging is removed on inspection. All packing material must be removed at time of inspection.

  4. Part of the packaging material may be kept temporarily as loose packaging and be placed back around the roots of the plants after inspection. This material may remain around the plant to help prevent desiccation of roots during fumigation. Packaging must be distributed so as not to prevent penetration of the fumigant.

    Note: packaging can only be kept to protect the plant during fumigation if there is no contamination or biosecurity risk material present on inspection.

    Any packaging retained for the fumigation treatment must be removed and disposed of as biosecurity waste by a Department approved method prior to plants being established in post entry quarantine.

  5. Under the Biosecurity Charges Imposition (General) Regulation 2016 and Chapter 9, Part 2 of the Biosecurity Regulation 2016, fees are payable to the Department of Agriculture for all services. Detail on how the department applies fees and levies may be found in the charging guidelines.

What happens next?

When you are importing into Australia a departmental officer will assess the risk posed by your import and determine the appropriate outcome to apply. You may use the link below to view the likely outcomes for this particular import scenario. Please be aware that the assessment conducted may result in an outcome that is not listed.

View Onshore Outcomes