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