Alerts

The purpose of this notification is to advise stakeholders of upcoming changes to remove specific measures for Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CaLsol) on apiaceous seed for sowing.

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

Key points

• Effective 1 December 2021, specific measures for CaLsol on apiaceous seed for sowing will be removed from chervil, celery, carrot, fennel, parsnip and parsley seed.
• The requirement for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing or hot water treatment (HWT) will end.
• Affected permit holders have been notified of upcoming variations to their permits.

What is changing?
The department will remove measures for Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum on apiaceous seed for sowing. The requirement for PCR testing and hot water treatment for apiaceous seed will end on 1 December 2021.

The department will vary import permits for Anthriscus cerefolium (chervil), Apium graveolens (celery), Daucus carota (carrot), Foeniculum vulgare (fennel), Pastinaca sativa (parsnip), Petroselinum crispum (parsley) on 1 December in line with these changes. Permit variations will be performed at no cost to the permit holder as these permit changes will be initiated by the department.

When will these changes commence?
From 1 December 2021 imported chervil, celery, carrot, fennel, parsnip and parsley seed for sowing will no longer require PCR testing or hot water treatment to manage CaLsol.

Background
In response to significant new scientific research, which demonstrates that seed transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CaLsol) does not occur in apiaceous seed hosts, the department has reconsidered the technical justification for the current measures applied for CaLsol on apiaceous seed. As a result, the current measures for CaLsol on seeds for sowing of 6 apiaceous species (chervil, celery, carrot, fennel, parsnip and parsley) have been deemed unnecessary to achieve Australia’s appropriate level of protection.

Further information:
Please contact Plant Import Operations on 1800 900 090 or email imports@awe.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email ‘Plant Tier 2 - vegetable seeds import conditions’).