Changes

The department has completed a Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) and a Disease Risk Assessment (DRA) for Pinus strobus and has determined that this species is already present in Australia and not under official control.

As a result, Pinus strobus has been added to the 'Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp. seed for sowing' BICON case and the 'Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp. for use as nursery stock' BICON case. This species may be permitted entry into Australian territory as seed for sowing and nursery stock subject to the import conditions of these cases.

No other changes have been made to import conditions within the above BICON cases.

Who does this notice affect:
Importers (and their customs brokers) of these species for an end use of seed for sowing or nursery stock and departmental staff.

Background:
The WRA and DRA systems are science-based quarantine risk analysis tools for determining the weed potential of a species and the disease risks of a genus. All plants proposed for importation into Australian territory and not currently permitted on BICON are assessed for their potential to introduce disease or become weed species in Australia. Further information on the assessment process is available on the department's webpage.

Import permits:
Current import permits will not be updated to reflect this change, any permit holders intending to import these species will have to apply for a variation to include the additional species.

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