Alerts

The purpose of this notification is to remind stakeholders of upcoming changes that will be introduced for the following restricted apiaceous seed species (and their synonyms) imported for sowing purposes:

• Anthriscus cerefolium (chervil)
• Apium graveolens (celery)
• Daucus carota (carrot)
• Foeniculum vulgare (fennel)
• Pastinaca sativa (parsnip)
• Petroselinum crispum (parsley).

What will the upcoming changes involve?
The changes include three main components:

1. A new import permit requirement for chervil, celery, fennel, parsnip and parsley seeds for sowing.
   Important: Importers must apply for an import permit as soon as possible to allow adequate time for the application to be considered by the department.

2. A new requirement in which carrot and fennel seed for sowing will need to be treated with a broad-spectrum fungicide. This treatment is being introduced to manage the risk of seed-borne fungal pathogens of biosecurity concern.

3. General updates to import conditions to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose, effective and consistent, including:

   • An offshore laboratory test report will need to accompany all consignments that had been tested for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ prior to export. The report must include details such as the species and seed lot/s tested, the size of the testing sample, the type of test performed, and the testing result.
   • Seed samples being taken for onshore testing for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ must be drawn from each seed lot by a biosecurity officer; samples cannot be drawn across multiple seed lots.
   • Treatment options to manage the risk of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (if testing is not undertaken) will be limited to hot water immersion at 50°C for 20 minutes.

The above changes were originally notified on 11 December 2020 (permit introductions) and 11 February 2021 (treatment requirements and general updates to conditions).

What does this mean for consignments in-transit to Australia?
The above changes will commence on 30 March 2021.

• Consignments that arrive on or after 30 March 2021 without an import permit, including scenarios where an application is currently under consideration, will be directed for export or destruction in an approved manner.
• There are limited facilities available in Australia that can conduct fungicide treatment. As a result, we strongly recommend that carrot and fennel seed is treated prior to export and in advance of the implementation date. This will reduce the risk of clearance issues at the border once the new treatment condition takes effect.

Who does this alert affect:
Importers (and their customs brokers) of apiaceous vegetable seed and department staff.

Further information:
Please contact Plant Import Operations on 1800 900 090 or email imports@agriculture.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email ‘Plant T2 - Vegetable seeds import conditions’).