Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Drought, disaster and rural support
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Levies and charges on agricultural products
    • Mouse infestation advice
    • Plant health
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Report a concern
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Plant Innovation Centre
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Budget 2025-26

    Budget 2025-26

    The 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 March 2025.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Import
  4. Arrival of goods in Australia
  5. Check cargo, containers and vessels for pests
  6. Weeds and seeds

Sidebar first - Import

  • Check cargo, containers and vessels for pests
    • Asian gypsy moth
    • Asian longhorned beetle
    • Asian tiger mosquito
    • Black spined toad
    • Brown mulberry longhorn beetle
    • Brown marmorated stink bugs
    • Burnt pine longicorn beetle
    • Country Action List (CAL) and risk vessels
      • Request to have CAL cargo transhipped without inspection form
    • Formosan subterranean termite
    • Giant African snail
    • Giant honey bee
    • Japanese sawyer beetle
    • Khapra beetle
    • Lesser auger beetle
    • Pine wilt nematode
    • Plant diseases
    • Weeds and seeds

Weeds and seeds

​The risk to Australia

Weeds cost the Australian economy billions of dollars in control measures and lost income each year. They reduce agricultural production by competing with crops, introducing crop diseases and restrict our ability to trade internationally by contaminating crops and wool. They can also bring plant disease, degrade natural ecosystems and endanger native Australian plants and the animals that rely on them.

A photo of seeds hanging on a bamboo fence.A photo of a bag of seeds.Aphoto of bullrush with a mass of seeds
Note: images are not to size

Weeds compete with native plants, crops and wanted non-native plants for water, nutrients and light. They can host crop diseases and pests.

While some native plants have become weeds of natural ecosystems, most of Australia’s weeds have been accidentally introduced or were introduced for agricultural or ornamental purposes in the past.

What weeds and their seeds look like

Weeds and their seeds come in all shapes and sizes. However, most weed species that are easily spread produce seeds that are either:

  • very small and therefore get distributed with soil and easily lodge in cracks and crevices
  • the same size or weight as the seeds of the crop with which they are growing, and therefore difficult to separate
  • able to fly or stick to rough surfaces due to appendages.

What to look for

Look for seed heads, capsules or pods on any imported goods made from plants such as wicker and straw products, thatching and screens. You should also look for potential weeds or unusual seeds and check shipping containers for dirt or plant debris. Look out for plants with fluffy air-borne seeds growing in the vicinity of import and export storage facilities.

SEE. SECURE. REPORT.

If you see a biosecurity risk or suspected plant disease, secure the plant or goods to limit the spread of disease where possible and immediately report it to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on 1800 798 636.

For safety, consult a departmental plant pathologist before handling diseased plants.

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Other format

  • Weeds and seeds PDF​ [620 KB, 2 pages]
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip
Page last updated: 10 January 2023

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram