Changes

Sabinaria magnifica has been added to the ‘Palm seed for sowing’ BICON case, as the department has assessed that this species poses a low weed risk. As a result, this species may be permitted entry into Australian territory subject to the conditions under the ‘Palm seed for sowing’ BICON case.

No other changes have been made to import conditions for Palm seed for sowing.

Background:

These changes have been reflected in the published Permitted Arecaceae (palm) Seeds List (updated on 15 July 2020), which contains conditionally non-prohibited goods which are subject to specific conditions of import, as outlined in the Biosecurity (Prohibited and Conditionally Non-Prohibited Goods) Determination 2016.

This addition is being made following a departmental assessment, which determined that there is a low risk of this species becoming a weed in Australia. The Weed Risk Assessment system is a science-based quarantine risk analysis tool for determining the weed potential of a plant. All plants proposed for importation into Australia and not currently permitted on BICON are assessed for their potential to become weeds in Australia. Further information on the Weed Risk Assessment system is available on the department’s website.

(https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/risk-analysis/weeds)

Who does this notice affect:

Importers of palm seed for sowing, customs brokers and departmental staff.

Further information:

Contact Plant Import Operations at imports@agriculture.gov.au or phone 1800 900 090.