Changes

Permitted species of the following plant genera have been added to the ‘Permitted seeds for sowing’ case in BICON:

• Funkia

• Hemerocallis

• Hosta

• Patrinia.

Consignments must meet all other import conditions in place to manage other biosecurity risks on the pathway, such as contaminants (e.g. soil, weed seeds).

Background:

The above genera are hosts of daylily rust, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia hemerocallidis.

The department has reviewed the quarantine status of Puccinia hemerocallidis and has determined that this pathogen is present in Australia and no longer a quarantine pest of concern for Australia. As such, the mandatory fungicide treatment is no longer required to manage the risk of this pathogen on imported host seeds for sowing.

Who does this notice affect:

Importers of daylily rust hosts as seeds for sowing and departmental staff.

Further information:

Please contact Plant Import Operations on 1800 900 090 or by email at imports@agriculture.gov.au.