Alerts
Notification of planned urgent actions for khapra beetle
Effective from 13 August 2020The purpose of this notification is to advise stakeholders that within the next two months the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (the department) will implement urgent actions to address the risk of khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) entering Australia.
Khapra beetle is Australia’s number two National Priority Plant Pest (2019). It is not present in Australia and poses a major threat to Australia’s grains, rice and nut industries through production losses and potential impacts on international trade.
Why are these changes needed:
These urgent actions are considered necessary because:
The global spread of khapra beetle is increasing and it is being detected on a wide range of plant products and as a hitchhiker pest on containers, from places where khapra beetle is not known to occur.
Khapra beetle is a significant threat to Australian plant industries, including the grain export industry. Khapra beetle destroys grain quality making it unfit for human or animal consumption. Stored products also become contaminated with beetles, cast skins and hairs from larvae, which can be a human health risk.
If khapra beetle enters Australia it would have significant economic consequences. An outbreak could cost Australia $15.5 billion over 20 years through revenue losses arising from reduction in production and exports.
Australia currently has biosecurity requirements for many plant products that could be infested with khapra beetle. However, the department believes that the biosecurity requirements need to be expanded and strengthened to prevent a khapra beetle incursion.
Who will be affected by these changes:
Travellers, online shoppers, recipients of international mail and other stakeholders including importers of plant products, freight forwarders, customs brokers and high-volume specialist operators specialising in moving personal effects.
What types of material will be affected:
The urgent actions will be applied to the following plant products (in various raw and physically-processed forms for any end use), which have been identified as high-risk:
Rice (Oryza sativa)
Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum)
Cucurbit seed (Cucurbita spp.; Cucumis spp.; Citrullus spp.)
Cumin seed (Cuminum cyminum)
Safflower seed (Carthamus tinctorius)
Bean seed (Phaseolus spp.)
Soybean (Glycine max)
Mung beans, cowpeas (Vigna spp.)
Lentils (Lens culinaris)
Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Coriander seed (Coriandrum sativum)
Celery seed (Apium graveolens)
Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)
Dried chillies/capsicum (Capsicum spp.)
Faba bean (Vicia faba)
Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan)
Pea seed (Pisum sativum)
Fennel seed (Foeniculum spp.)
The following exclusions apply: goods that are thermally processed that are commercially manufactured and packaged such as retorted, blanched, roasted, fried, boiled, puffed, malted or pasteurised goods, and commercially manufactured frozen food and frozen plant products or oils derived from vegetables or seed.
What will change:
The urgent actions for high-risk plant products will be implemented through several measures and include (but are not limited to):
Banning high-risk plant products from entering Australia from all countries as unaccompanied personal effects (UPEs) and within low value air and sea freight (lodged through self-assessed clearance (SAC)), but excluding goods imported as commercial trade samples and for research purposes.
Banning high-risk plant products from entering Australia from all countries in accompanied baggage and in mail.
Extending phytosanitary certification verifying freedom from Trogoderma species to all high-risk plant products imported via commercial pathways from all countries - this will require government officials of the exporting country to certify that consignments are free all Trogoderma species, including T. granarium (khapra beetle).
Introducing mandatory offshore treatment of high-risk plant products imported via commercial pathways from countries determined to pose an unacceptable khapra beetle risk (these measures will not apply for seeds for planting).
When will the changes commence:
The measures will be implemented in several phases. Banning high-risk plant products from entering Australia as unaccompanied personal effects and within low value air and sea freight lodged through SAC (Phase 1) (excluding goods imported as commercial samples and for research purposes) is expected to be implemented in August 2020. Additional BICON alerts will be published to notify stakeholders of the specific details of the actions and implementation dates for each phase.
The department will vary any existing permits, where required. Affected import permit holders will be contacted by the department to discuss this prior to the variation.
Will anything else change:
Additional actions for lower risk plant products (e.g. other seeds and flours not listed as high risk, dried fruits and vegetables) are also being considered and may include extending phytosanitary certification to include verification of freedom from khapra beetle. Additional actions to manage the hitchhiking risk of khapra beetle in containers are being considered for the longer term, which may include treatments of containers prior to loading of goods, and treatment of empty containers. Further consultation on the proposed container changes will occur with impacted industries prior to any change.
What happens now:
Further detail on the actions under each phase will be published on the BICON alert page before they are implemented.
The department will also notify existing import permit holders that are affected by this change.
Trading partners have been notified of the urgent actions by the department through official channels.
The department will liaise with key stakeholders on the proposed actions.
Enquiries can be directed to 1800 900 090 or via email at imports@agriculture.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email with ‘Plant Tier 2 – khapra urgent actions’).
This Alert applies to the following Cases:
- Mexican jumping bean seed for sowing
- Colocasia spp. seed for sowing
- Cocos spp. seed for sowing
- Plant species requiring further assessment
- Processed grain and seed products for use as biodegradable/edible tableware
- Roasted seeds for human consumption
- Retail ready products containing a mix of grains, seeds, dried fruits and nuts for human consumption
- Tamarind for human consumption
- Water chestnuts for human consumption
- Lodoicea maldivica nuts
- Horse chestnuts
- Chestnuts for human consumption
- Plant species that are weeds
- Dried vegetables for human consumption
- Dried dates or doum for human consumption
- Malted cereal products for processing
- Processed grain and seed products for human consumption
- Dried and whole Ziziphus spp. for human consumption
- Bulgur wheat for human consumption
- Carob and cocoa beans and husk for human consumption
- Freekeh for human consumption
- Shelled pine nuts for human consumption
- Dried apricot kernels
- Truffles for human consumption
- Processed tuber and corm products for human consumption
- Raw nuts for human consumption
- Dried grapes for human consumption
- Brassicaceous seed for sprouting or micro-green production
- Plant fibre products and seed handicrafts
- Pelted wheat for human consumption
- Vacuum sealed nuts for human consumption
- Processed nuts for human consumption
- Plant material for research purposes
- Returning Australian products
- Maize grits for human consumption or processing
- Peanuts for human consumption or processing
- Ground or whole peppercorns and pepper for human consumption
- Groats for processing or human consumption
- Pet food, supplements and ingredients of plant origin
- Stock feed, supplements and ingredients of plant origin
- Mushrooms for human consumption
- Dried fruit
- Euphorbia lathyrus seed for processing
- Articles stuffed with dried herbs or seed
- Powdered herbs for human consumption
- Dried herbs for human consumption
- Dried herb products not for human consumption
- Unaccompanied personal effects
- Vangueria infausta seed for sowing
- Telfairia occidentalis seed for sowing
- Hibiscus cannabinus seed for sowing
- Cassava seed for sowing
- Humulus spp. seed for sowing
- Dutch elm disease host seed for sowing
- Azadirachta indica seed for sowing
- Whole dried peas for human consumption
- Dactylis spp. seed for sowing
- Nuts and woody tree seed for sowing
- Unrestricted cucurbitaceous seed for sowing
- Cucurbita maxima seed for sowing
- Brassicaceous seed for sowing requiring treatment
- Cucurbita moschata seed for sowing
- Cucumis melo seed for sowing
- Citrullus lanatus seed for sowing
- Cucurbita pepo seed for sowing
- Trichosanthes cucumerina seed for sowing
- Cucumis sativus seed for sowing
- Allium spp. seed for sowing
- Fagopyrum esculentum seed for sowing
- Pearl barley
- Chickpeas for human consumption
- Hemp seed and hemp products
- Whole lentils for human consumption
- Birdseed
- Mixed seed for sowing (permitted species)
- Orchid seed for sowing
- Arabidopsis spp. seed for sowing
- Xanthosoma roseum seed for sowing
- Coffee for processing or human consumption
- Sesame seed for human consumption
- Papaver somniferum seed for human consumption
- Fagopyrum esculentum for human consumption
- Palm seed for sowing
- Gulong tribute millet for human consumption
- Seed for sowing products
- Linseed for human consumption
- Momordica charantia as seed for sowing
- Lagenaria siceraria seed for sowing
- Rice for human consumption or processing
- Soybeans (excluding frozen) for human consumption
- Sunflower kernel or seed for human consumption
- Split legumes for human consumption
- Banana seed for sowing
- Brachiaria spp. and Urochloa spp. seed for sowing
- Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (Chinese jujube) seed for sowing
- Setaria spp. seed for sowing
- Avena spp. seed for sowing
- Linseed seed for sowing
- Zeia spp. seed for sowing
- Vicia spp. seed for sowing
- Chloris spp. seed for sowing
- Digitaria spp. seed for sowing
- Gossypium spp. seed for sowing
- Pascopyrum smithii seed for sowing
- Leymus spp. seed for sowing
- Vitis spp. (grape) seed for sowing
- Oryza spp. seed for sowing
- Ricinus communis seed for sowing
- Helianthus spp. (sunflower) seed for sowing
- Sesame seed for sowing
- Panicum spp. seed for sowing.
- Camellia sinensis seed for sowing
- Myrtaceae seed for sowing
- Tomato seed for sowing
- Regulated vegetable crop seeds for human consumption
- Cannabis spp. seed for sowing
- Lolium spp. seed for sowing
- Nicotiana spp. seed for sowing
- Bean seed for human consumption
- Rutaceae seed for sowing requiring treatment and/or testing
- Ribes spp. seed for sowing
- Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum hosts as seed for sowing
- Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp. seed for sowing
- Chestnut blight hosts as seed for sowing
- Daucus carota seed for sowing
- Papaver somniferum seed for sowing
- Zea mays seed for sowing
- Persea americana seed for sowing
- Vaccinium spp. seed for sowing
- Phaseolus spp. seed for sowing
- Solanum tuberosum seed for sowing
- Carthamus tinctorius seed for sowing
- Leucaena spp. seed for sowing
- Coffea spp. seed for sowing
- Aneurolepidium spp. seed for sowing
- Lens spp. seed for sowing
- Roegneria spp. seed for sowing
- Secale cereale seed for sowing
- Cenchrus spp. seed for sowing
- Sorghum spp. seed for sowing
- Helictotrichon sempervirens seed for sowing
- Hordeum spp. seed for sowing
- x Triticosecale spp. seed for sowing
- Pennisetum spp. seed for sowing
- Triticum spp. seed for sowing
- Elymus spp. seed for sowing
- Conifer (excluding Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp.) seed for sowing
- Restricted legume seed for sowing
- Carica papaya seed for sowing
- Agropyron spp. seed for sowing
- Encephalartos spp. seed for sowing
- Permitted seed for sowing
- Raw seed for human consumption
- Prunus spp. seed for sowing
- Mangifera spp. seed for sowing
- Annona spp. seed for sowing
- Moko hosts seed for sowing
- Centrosema spp. seed for sowing
- Pea seed for sowing
- Medicago spp. seed for sowing
- Capsicum spp. (requiring testing) seed for sowing