Alerts
Notification of import condition reviews for seed for sowing
Effective from 19 October 2017Our department has been conducting operational reviews of plant, animal and biological import conditions to protect Australia’s biosecurity status and to maintain our market access for agricultural products. The review of import conditions is part of strengthening biosecurity surveillance and analysis under the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper. Further information on the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper can be located on the departments website at http://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/agwhitepaper-bio-surveillance-analysis.
We have now commenced work on reviewing the conditions for seeds for sowing which encompasses over 30,000 species.
The seed reviews will:
ensure import conditions are understandable and easy to find in our department’s Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON)
make sure import conditions are based on current information and risk management approaches while being a minimum burden
allow us to identify the treatments available to manage biosecurity risks such as pests, disease and contaminants.
We have established an ‘Imported seed regulation working group’, consisting of departmental and industry representatives who will be used to assist in the review of import conditions and managing biosecurity risks.
The amount of change to import conditions will vary between commodities. Some will have minimal or no change, and some may have significant changes. Where a major impact on industry is identified, we will work with the industry and keep them informed of the changes and how they will be implemented.
In conjunction with operational seed reviews, we have also commenced an extensive review of existing import conditions for select ‘vegetable seeds’, with current priority on the following seed groups:
Apiaceae family (carrot, celery, parsley)
Brassicaceae family (cauliflower, cabbage)
Cucurbitaceae family (cucumber, gourd, melon)
Solanaceae family (capsicum, eggplant, tomato).
Further information on the vegetable seed reviews can be located at http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/plant-products/seeds-for-sowing/vegetable-seeds-policy-review.
How to stay in touch?
While we are working to safeguard Australia’s agricultural industries, any changes to regulatory measures could affect seed importers and Australian primary producers. There are three ways you can stay informed about the progress of these reviews.
As import conditions are reviewed, any updates or changes will be outlined in BICON. The best way to stay informed of changes is to register as a BICON user (use the follow case function to receive email notifications when a case changes or has an alert). Please refer to the online factsheet on how to ‘Follow a BICON case’ (https://bicon.agriculture.gov.au/BiconWeb4.0/HelpFiles/External/Conditions/How%20do%20I%20use%20Case%20Options%20and%20Case%20Details.pdf).
If you are new to BICON, learn how to use BICON through our introductory eLearning module (http://www.agriculture.gov.au/Documents/bicon-elearning-introduction/index.html).
Subscribe to Import Industry Notice to Industry for general updates on plant and animal classes (http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/industry-advice).
Register your interest by emailing the Plant Import Conditions Review team at planticr@agriculture.gov.
This Alert applies to the following Cases:
- Colocasia spp. seed for sowing
- Azadirachta indica seed for sowing
- Carica papaya seed for sowing
- Mixed seed for sowing (permitted species)
- Seed for sowing products
- Vangueria infausta seed for sowing
- Persea americana seed for sowing
- Coffee seed for sowing
- Brassica spp. seed for sowing
- Allium spp. seed for sowing
- Prunus spp. seed for sowing
- Myrtaceae seed for sowing
- Arabidopsis spp. seed for sowing
- Encephalartos spp. seed for sowing
- Cucurbit seed for sowing requiring testing for plant viruses
- Catharanthus roseus seed for sowing
- Pinus spp. seed for sowing
- Annona spp. seed for sowing
- Rutaceae seed for sowing
- Camellia sinensis seed for sowing
- Centrosema spp. seed for sowing
- Phaseolus spp. seed for sowing
- Vicia spp. seed for sowing
- Orchid seed for sowing
- Chestnut seed for sowing
- Dutch elm disease host seed for sowing
- Gossypium spp. seed for sowing
- Cassava seed for sowing
- Cenchrus spp. seed for sowing
- Leucaena spp. seed for sowing
- Pennisetum spp. seed for sowing
- Hibiscus cannabinus seed for sowing
- Cocos spp. seed for sowing
- Humulus spp. seed for sowing
- Solanum tuberosum seed for sowing
- x Triticosecale spp. seed for sowing
- Linseed seed for sowing
- Sesame seed for sowing
- Pascopyrum smithii seed for sowing
- Hordeum spp. seed for sowing
- Leymus spp. seed for sowing
- Helianthus spp. (sunflower) seed for sowing
- Roegneria spp. seed for sowing
- Brachiaria spp. and Urochloa spp. seed for sowing
- Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum hosts as seed for sowing
- Permitted seed for sowing
- Lolium spp. seed for sowing
- Papaver somniferum seed for sowing
- Zea mays seed for sowing
- Telfairia occidentalis seed for sowing
- Dactylis spp. seed for sowing
- Mangifera spp. seed for sowing
- Conifer (excluding Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp.) seed for sowing
- Pea seed for sowing
- Cannabis spp. seed for sowing
- Fagopyrum esculentum seed for sowing
- Xanthosoma roseum seed for sowing
- Nicotiana spp. seed for sowing
- Restricted legume seed for sowing
- Nuts and woody tree seed for sowing
- Medicago spp. seed for sowing
- Daucus carota seed for sowing
- Daylily rust host seed for sowing
- Vaccinium spp. seed for sowing
- Agropyron spp. seed for sowing
- Moko hosts seed for sowing
- Capsicum spp. (requiring testing) seed for sowing
- Tomato seed for sowing
- Pseudotsuga spp. seed for sowing
- Palm seed for sowing
- Biomat products containing seed for sowing
- Ribes spp. seed for sowing
- Vitis spp. (grape) seed for sowing
- Banana seed for sowing
- Triticum spp. seed for sowing
- Ricinus communis seed for sowing
- Carthamus tinctorius seed for sowing
- Zeia spp. seed for sowing
- Avena spp. seed for sowing
- Digitaria spp. seed for sowing
- Sorghum spp. seed for sowing
- Aneurolepidium spp. seed for sowing
- Oryza spp. seed for sowing
- Setaria spp. seed for sowing
- Panicum spp. seed for sowing.
- Secale cereale seed for sowing
- Elymus spp. seed for sowing
- Chloris spp. seed for sowing
- Lens spp. seed for sowing
- Helictotrichon sempervirens seed for sowing