Changes

The department has completed a Weed Risk Assessment for the species Alocasia heterophylla and has determined that this species is already present in Australia and not under official control, and therefore cannot be prohibited from import into Australian territory based on weediness.

As a result, this species has been added to the ‘Ceratocycystis spp. hosts for use as nursery stock’ BICON case, and may be permitted entry into Australian territory subject to the import conditions of this case.

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

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

Background:
The Weed Risk Assessment and Disease Risk Assessment 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 this species will have to apply for a variation to include this additional species.

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