Alerts
Khapra beetle measures: webpage updates and new requirements for high-risk plant products
Effective from 16 July 2021The purpose of this notification is to advise stakeholders that the khapra beetle urgent actions webpage has been updated, and to provide further detail on the new requirements for high-risk plant products that are expected to commence in September 2021.
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.
Who does this alert affect:
Importers of high-risk plant products and other stakeholders in the import and shipping industries—including vessel masters, freight forwarders, treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers, principal shipping agents, and any other operators in the sea container supply and logistics chain.
What’s the change?
Khapra beetle webpage updates
The khapra beetle urgent actions webpage has been restructured to improve readability. An overview of these actions and the risk of khapra beetle is available via the original webpage, with further detail on each phase now available via the following sub-pages:
Requirements for high-risk plant products (Phases 1-3) |
Requirements for other-risk plant products (Phase 4) |
Requirements for seeds for sowing (Phase 5) |
Requirements for sea containers (Phase 6) |
New requirements for high-risk plant products
As advised in an earlier BICON alert, new requirements for high-risk plant products imported via air freight and sea freight are expected to commence in September 2021. Additional information on these requirements has been published on our webpage. A summary of the new information is outlined in the below tables.
Khapra beetle target risk countries
High-risk plant products exported from a khapra beetle target risk country will be required to be treated offshore in accordance with the below requirements.
Category |
Summary of requirement |
Treatment options |
The approved treatment options are:
We are also investigating alternative treatment options such as modified atmosphere treatments. Further information will be provided in due course. |
Product packaging |
If using methyl bromide fumigation, the products must be fumigated:
|
Treatment and export timeframes |
The treatment must be completed within 21 days of export. Compliance with this requirement must be demonstrated with appropriate documentation. |
Treatment certification |
The products must be accompanied by a treatment certificate issued by the offshore treatment provider. |
Phytosanitary certification |
The products must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the relevant authority of the exporting country. The phytosanitary certificate must include additional khapra beetle declarations covering the treatment and inspection of the products. |
All other countries
High-risk plant products exported from all other countries (i.e., countries that are not a khapra beetle target risk country) will be required to be inspected offshore and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. The phytosanitary certificate must include an additional khapra beetle declaration.
Linkage to khapra beetle requirements for sea containers
The requirements for high-risk plant products that are expected to commence in September 2021 are in addition to the existing khapra beetle requirements for sea containers.
This will mean that if high-risk plant products are exported in an FCL/FCX sea container from a khapra beetle target risk country, both the plant products and the sea container itself will require offshore treatment. Unless using methyl bromide, the sea container must be treated when empty (i.e. before goods are packed into the container).
Import conditions and permits:
BICON import conditions and associated import permits for impacted goods will be amended to incorporate the revised conditions.
The department will also notify import permit holders to initiate a variation to conditions of affected import permits.
Further information
For further information, see:
- urgent actions to protect against khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium)
- sea container measures to protect against khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium)
- khapra beetle bulletin.
For:
- Questions and information related directly to offshore khapra beetle treatments, please email offshoretreatments@agriculture.gov.au.
- All other enquiries regarding these measures, please phone 1800 900 090 or email imports@awe.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email with ‘Plant Tier 2 – khapra urgent actions’).
This Alert applies to the following Cases:
- Plant species requiring further assessment
- Plant species that are weeds
- Cenchrus spp. seed for sowing
- Hordeum spp. seed for sowing
- Roegneria spp. seed for sowing
- Vitis spp. (grape) seed for sowing
- Leucaena spp. seed for sowing
- Pascopyrum smithii seed for sowing
- Helianthus spp. (sunflower) seed for sowing
- Linseed seed for sowing
- Elymus spp. seed for sowing
- Sesame seed for sowing
- Secale cereale seed for sowing
- Ricinus communis seed for sowing
- Mexican jumping bean seed for sowing
- Azadirachta indica seed for sowing
- Colocasia spp. seed for sowing
- Humulus spp. seed for sowing
- x Triticosecale spp. seed for sowing
- Chloris spp. seed for sowing
- Pennisetum spp. seed for sowing
- Solanum tuberosum seed for sowing
- Zeia spp. seed for sowing
- Panicum spp. seed for sowing.
- Vangueria infausta seed for sowing
- Hibiscus cannabinus seed for sowing
- Cassava seed for sowing
- Telfairia occidentalis seed for sowing
- Cocos spp. seed for sowing
- Lodoicea maldivica nuts
- Euphorbia lathyrus seed for processing
- Dutch elm disease host seed for sowing
- Digitaria spp. seed for sowing
- Sorghum spp. seed for sowing
- Banana seed for sowing
- Pet food, supplements and ingredients of plant origin
- Avena spp. seed for sowing
- Aneurolepidium spp. seed for sowing
- Setaria spp. seed for sowing
- Leymus spp. seed for sowing
- Helictotrichon sempervirens seed for sowing
- Gossypium spp. seed for sowing
- Biodegradable and/or edible tableware and packaging
- Coffea spp. seed for sowing
- Horse chestnuts
- Restricted legume seed for sowing
- Lens spp. seed for sowing
- Oryza spp. seed for sowing
- Carthamus tinctorius seed for sowing
- Vicia spp. seed for sowing
- Triticum spp. seed for sowing
- Brachiaria spp. and Urochloa spp. seed for sowing
- Centrosema spp. seed for sowing
- Agropyron spp. seed for sowing
- Nicotiana spp. seed for sowing
- Maize for human consumption or processing
- Dried herbs for human consumption
- Stockfeed, stockfeed ingredients and stockfeed additives
- Fagopyrum esculentum for human consumption
- Groats for processing or human consumption
- Tamarind for human consumption
- Gulong tribute millet for human consumption
- Processed nuts for human consumption
- Plant fibre products and seed handicrafts
- Soybeans (excluding frozen) for human consumption
- Phaseolus spp. seed for sowing
- Articles stuffed with dried herbs or seed
- Chickpeas for human consumption
- Peanuts for human consumption or processing
- Dried vegetables for human consumption
- Conifer (excluding Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp.) seed for sowing
- Arabidopsis spp. seed for sowing
- Permitted seed for sowing
- Fagopyrum esculentum seed for sowing
- Lolium spp. seed for sowing
- Brassicaceous seed for sowing requiring treatment
- Allium spp. seed for sowing
- Dactylis spp. seed for sowing
- Camellia sinensis seed for sowing
- Orchid seed for sowing
- Annona spp. seed for sowing
- Tomato seed for sowing
- Ribes spp. seed for sowing
- Mangifera spp. seed for sowing
- Linseed for human consumption
- Encephalartos spp. seed for sowing
- Capsicum spp. (requiring testing) seed for sowing
- Palm seed for sowing
- Carica papaya seed for sowing
- Unaccompanied personal effects
- Chestnut blight hosts as seed for sowing
- Returning Australian products
- Rice for human consumption or processing
- Unrestricted cucurbitaceous seed for sowing
- Cucurbita pepo seed for sowing
- Cucumis melo seed for sowing
- Cucumis sativus seed for sowing
- Cucurbita moschata seed for sowing
- Cucurbita maxima seed for sowing
- Citrullus lanatus seed for sowing
- Daucus carota seed for sowing
- Trichosanthes cucumerina seed for sowing
- Shelled pine nuts for human consumption
- Bulgur wheat for human consumption
- Malted cereal products for processing
- Freekeh for human consumption
- Pearl barley
- Dried grapes for human consumption
- Coffee for processing or human consumption
- Dried apricot kernels
- Dried dates or doum for human consumption
- Hemp seed and hemp products
- Papaver somniferum seed for human consumption
- Regulated vegetable crop seeds for human consumption
- Dried herb products not for human consumption
- Processed tuber and corm products for human consumption
- Dried and whole Ziziphus spp. for human consumption
- Carob and cocoa beans and husk for human consumption
- Sesame seed for human consumption
- Processed grain and seed products for human consumption
- Dried fruit
- Ground or whole peppercorns and pepper for human consumption
- Roasted seeds for human consumption
- Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (Chinese jujube) seed for sowing
- Water chestnuts for human consumption
- Brassicaceous seed for sprouting or micro-green production
- Persea americana seed for sowing
- Vacuum sealed nuts for human consumption
- Truffles for human consumption
- Retail ready products containing a mix of grains, seeds, dried fruits and nuts for human consumption
- Chestnuts for human consumption
- Sunflower kernel or seed for human consumption
- Pelted wheat for human consumption
- Powdered herbs for human consumption
- Khapra beetle sea container measures
- Split legumes for human consumption
- Plant material for research purposes
- Whole lentils for human consumption
- Myrtaceae seed for sowing
- Zea mays seed for sowing
- Bean seed for human consumption
- Mixed seed for sowing (permitted species)
- Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp. seed for sowing
- Vaccinium spp. seed for sowing
- Moko hosts seed for sowing
- Medicago spp. seed for sowing
- Xanthosoma roseum seed for sowing
- Papaver somniferum seed for sowing
- Rutaceae seed for sowing requiring treatment and/or testing
- Cannabis spp. seed for sowing
- Mushrooms for human consumption
- Seed for sowing products
- Birdseed
- Prunus spp. seed for sowing
- Nuts and woody tree seed for sowing
- Pea seed for sowing
- Raw seed for human consumption
- Whole dried peas for human consumption
- Raw nuts for human consumption
- Momordica charantia as seed for sowing
- Lagenaria siceraria seed for sowing
- Petroselinum crispum seed for sowing