Changes

The department has completed a Weed Risk Assessment for the species listed below and has determined that these species are permitted as they pose a low weed risk to Australia, are already present in Australia and not under official control, or are a synonym of a listed permitted species.

As a result, the following scientific names have been added to the 'Cacti for use as nursery stock' BICON case, and species may be permitted entry into Australian territory subject to the import conditions of this case.

Mammillaria schwarzii
Parodia werneri
Pilosocereus pachycladus
Pilosocereus fulvilanatus
Pseudopilocereus pachycladus

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.