Changes

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has strengthened testing requirements for Citrus spp. nursery stock, following a review to ensure import conditions are current and best able to protect Australian agriculture from plant pests and diseases of biosecurity concern.

Effective immediately, mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing will be undertaken to detect the presence of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Citrus Canker) in imported Citrus spp. nursery stock. Given its status as a National Priority Plant Pest, testing for citrus canker will be performed on both mother plants and shoot tip grafted plants during the post-entry quarantine (PEQ) to confirm that imported plants are free from this pathogen.

The minimum quarantine period for disease screening and testing at the Commonwealth PEQ facility at Mickleham, Victoria remains unchanged, i.e. minimum 24 months.

In line with the department’s standard operating procedures, additional testing may be required if disease symptoms are detected or if suspect pathogens are found, at the importer’s expense.

Import permits:
Affected import permits will be varied to reflect the changes, at no cost to permit holders. The department will contact affected permit holders regarding these variations.

Who does this notice affect:
Importers of Citrus spp. nursery stock, brokers, and department staff.

Background:
Australia has a strong biosecurity system in place to prevent the entry and establishment of pests and diseases that could threaten our agricultural industries, economy, and environment. The department is reviewing the post-entry quarantine conditions for several high-risk nursery stock genera. These plants are economically significant and/or carry significant pests or pathogens and are currently required to undergo disease screening at the Commonwealth’s PEQ facility.

Previous import conditions for Citrus spp. relied on visual inspections to screen for Citrus Canker. The adoption of modern molecular testing for Citrus Canker enhances existing border protocols to strengthen assurance over the status of clean genetic material entering Australia.

Further information:
Please contact Plant Import Operations on 1800 900 090 or by email imports@aff.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email with ‘Plant T2 – Citrus Canker).