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 that are weeds
- Regulated vegetable crop seeds for human consumption
- Brassicaceous seed for sowing requiring treatment
- Sunflower kernel or seed for human consumption
- Cucurbita pepo seed for sowing
- Rice for human consumption or processing
- Momordica charantia as seed for sowing
- Cucumis melo seed for sowing
- Lagenaria siceraria seed for sowing
- Tomato seed for sowing
- Cucurbita maxima seed for sowing
- Mexican jumping bean seed for sowing
- Cocos spp. seed for sowing
- Euphorbia lathyrus seed for processing
- Roasted seeds for human consumption
- Biodegradable and/or edible tableware and packaging
- Lodoicea maldivica nuts
- Brassicaceous seed for sprouting or micro-green production
- Freekeh for human consumption
- Trichosanthes cucumerina seed for sowing
- Dried apricot kernels
- Shelled pine nuts for human consumption
- Bulgur wheat for human consumption
- Humulus spp. seed for sowing
- Vangueria infausta seed for sowing
- Hibiscus cannabinus seed for sowing
- Cassava seed for sowing
- Telfairia occidentalis seed for sowing
- Lens spp. seed for sowing
- Secale cereale seed for sowing
- Cucurbita moschata seed for sowing
- Oryza spp. seed for sowing
- Hordeum spp. seed for sowing
- Cenchrus spp. seed for sowing
- Aneurolepidium spp. seed for sowing
- Colocasia spp. seed for sowing
- x Triticosecale spp. seed for sowing
- Camellia sinensis seed for sowing
- Groats for processing or human consumption
- Rutaceae seed for sowing requiring treatment and/or testing
- Carob and cocoa beans and husk for human consumption
- Conifer (excluding Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp.) seed for sowing
- Mangifera spp. seed for sowing
- Sesame seed for human consumption
- Nicotiana spp. seed for sowing
- Medicago spp. seed for sowing
- Carica papaya seed for sowing
- Phaseolus spp. seed for sowing
- Palm seed for sowing
- Linseed for human consumption
- Mixed seed for sowing (permitted species)
- Moko hosts seed for sowing
- Persea americana seed for sowing
- Centrosema spp. seed for sowing
- Encephalartos spp. seed for sowing
- Arabidopsis spp. seed for sowing
- Agropyron spp. seed for sowing
- Daucus carota seed for sowing
- Linseed seed for sowing
- Digitaria spp. seed for sowing
- Leucaena spp. seed for sowing
- Leymus spp. seed for sowing
- Maize for human consumption or processing
- Azadirachta indica seed for sowing
- Helictotrichon sempervirens seed for sowing
- Vicia spp. seed for sowing
- Zeia spp. seed for sowing
- Ricinus communis seed for sowing
- Banana seed for sowing
- Panicum spp. seed for sowing.
- Malted cereal products for processing
- Petroselinum crispum seed for sowing
- Hemp seed and hemp products
- Split legumes for human consumption
- Pelted wheat for human consumption
- Ground or whole peppercorns and pepper for human consumption
- Retail ready products containing a mix of grains, seeds, dried fruits and nuts for human consumption
- Soybeans (excluding frozen) for human consumption
- Peanuts for human consumption or processing
- Whole lentils for human consumption
- Water chestnuts for human consumption
- Unrestricted cucurbitaceous seed for sowing
- Processed nuts for human consumption
- Triticum spp. seed for sowing
- Restricted legume seed for sowing
- Vacuum sealed nuts for human consumption
- Plant species requiring further assessment
- Papaver somniferum seed for human consumption
- Tamarind for human consumption
- Pearl barley
- Ribes spp. seed for sowing
- Dried fruit
- Processed tuber and corm products for human consumption
- Bean seed for human consumption
- Raw nuts for human consumption
- Vaccinium spp. seed for sowing
- Chickpeas for human consumption
- Annona spp. seed for sowing
- Fagopyrum esculentum seed for sowing
- Xanthosoma roseum seed for sowing
- Processed grain and seed products for human consumption
- Myrtaceae seed for sowing
- Allium spp. seed for sowing
- Nuts and woody tree seed for sowing
- Whole dried peas for human consumption
- Powdered herbs for human consumption
- Pennisetum spp. seed for sowing
- Birdseed
- Cannabis spp. seed for sowing
- Orchid seed for sowing
- Dried herb products not for human consumption
- Pea seed for sowing
- Chestnuts for human consumption
- Truffles for human consumption
- Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (Chinese jujube) seed for sowing
- Dried vegetables for human consumption
- Capsicum spp. (requiring testing) seed for sowing
- Sorghum spp. seed for sowing
- Sesame seed for sowing
- Pascopyrum smithii seed for sowing
- Dried dates or doum for human consumption
- Helianthus spp. (sunflower) seed for sowing
- Carthamus tinctorius seed for sowing
- Stockfeed, stockfeed ingredients and stockfeed additives
- Articles stuffed with dried herbs or seed
- Avena spp. seed for sowing
- Zea mays seed for sowing
- Dried and whole Ziziphus spp. for human consumption
- Coffee for processing or human consumption
- Mushrooms for human consumption
- Fagopyrum esculentum for human consumption
- Plant fibre products and seed handicrafts
- Returning Australian products
- Raw seed for human consumption
- Dactylis spp. seed for sowing
- Gossypium spp. seed for sowing
- Dried grapes for human consumption
- Unaccompanied personal effects
- Papaver somniferum seed for sowing
- Vitis spp. (grape) seed for sowing
- Gulong tribute millet for human consumption
- Brachiaria spp. and Urochloa spp. seed for sowing
- Dutch elm disease host seed for sowing
- Lolium spp. seed for sowing
- Prunus spp. seed for sowing
- Dried herbs for human consumption
- Horse chestnuts
- Elymus spp. seed for sowing
- Setaria spp. seed for sowing
- Solanum tuberosum seed for sowing
- Chestnut blight hosts as seed for sowing
- Pet food, supplements and ingredients of plant origin
- Roegneria spp. seed for sowing
- Coffea spp. seed for sowing
- Chloris spp. seed for sowing
- Cucumis sativus seed for sowing
- Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp. seed for sowing
- Citrullus lanatus seed for sowing
- Plant material for research purposes
- Seed for sowing products
- Khapra beetle sea container measures
- Permitted seed for sowing