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On 20 January 2027, Australia’s import conditions for nursery stock will be updated in accordance with the department’s final pest risk analysis for bacterial pathogens in the Xylella genus.
These changes strengthen Australia’s biosecurity protections through updated offshore testing, laboratory authorisation, certification and assurance requirements, particularly for tissue culture nursery stock imported from countries and regions that are recognised as high-risk for Xylella.
Offshore laboratories seeking to conduct testing of plants for Xylella can now apply for registration under the Xylella Laboratory Authorisation Program.
Current emergency measures for Xylella will remain in place until conditions are updated.
Check Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) for all import conditions applying to your goods.
About Xylella and its risk
Xylella is a serious plant bacterium. It affects many common plant species including:
- wine and table grapes
- citrus
- olives
- forestry and amenity trees
- almonds
- cherries
- peaches
- plums
- avocados
- blueberries
- coffee
- pecans
- alfalfa.
Xylella is not present in Australia but is of major concern to our plant industries. If it gets into Australia, it will be practically impossible to eradicate.
This bacterial disease originated in the Americas. It has spread to Europe and Asia with recent detections in Spain, Portugal, Israel, Iraq and China. In the Americas it is causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Costs to California’s grapevines alone amount to $100 million per year.
Further information on Xylella can be found on the Xylella and exotic vectors page.
High-risk Xylella countries or regions
High-risk Xylella countries or regions (where Xylella is known to be present in the country or wider region) currently include all countries in the Americas (including the Caribbean), all countries in Europe, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Taiwan, and Türkiye.
Plant genera regulated for Xylella
| Carya |
| Acacia | Cotoneaster | Lantana | Pluchea |
| Acer | Croton | Lathyrus | Poa |
| Acmena | Cydonia | Laurus | Polygala |
| Acnistus | Cynodon | Lavandula | Polygonum |
| Adenocarpus | Cyperus | Lavatera | Pomaderris |
| Aesculus | Cytisus | Leonurus | Poncirus |
| Agapanthus | Daphne | Lepidium | Populus |
| Agathis | Datura | Leptospermum | Portulaca |
| Agrostis | Daucus | Leucophyta | Prosopis |
| Ailanthus | Dendropogon | Libertia | Prunus |
| Albizia | Dermatophyllum | Ligustrum | Psidium |
| Alectryon | Diaphoranthema | Linum | Ptelea |
| Allardtia | Digitaria | Lippia | Pteridium |
| Allium | Dimorphotheca | Liquidambar | Pterospartum |
| Alnus | Diospyros | Liriodendron | Punica |
| Aloysia | Diplocyclos | Liriope | Pyracantha |
| Alternanthera | Dittrichia | Lolium | Pyrus |
| Amaranthus | Dodonaea | Lonicera | Quercus |
| Ambrosia | Duranta | Ludwigia | Ranunculus |
| Ampelopsis | Dysphania | Luehea | Raphanus |
| Amsinckia | Echinochloa | Lupinus | Ratibida |
| Andira | Echinospartum | Macadamia | Renealmia |
| Anoplophytum | Echium | Magnolia | Reseda |
| Annona | Elaeagnus | Mahonia | Retama |
| Anthyllis | Eleusine | Majorana | Rhamnus |
| Arbutus | Emilia | Mallotus | Rheum |
| Arctostaphylos | Encelia | Malus | Rhus |
| Argyranthemum | Epilobium | Malva | Richardia |
| Artemisia | Equisetum | Mangifera | Robinia |
| Asparagus | Eragrostis | Marrubium | Rosa |
| Athyrium | Eremocarpus | Matricaria | Rosmarinus |
| Atriplex | Eremophila | Medicago | Rubus |
| Avena | Erica | Megathyrsus | Rumex |
| Axonopus | Erigeron | Melaleuca | Ruta |
| Baccharis | Eriobotrya | Melicope | Saintpaulia |
| Berberis | Eriocephalus | Melicytus | Salix |
| Berlandiera | Eriochloa | Melilotus | Salsola |
| Betula | Eriogonum | Melinis | Salvia |
| Bidens | Erodium | Melissa | Sambucus |
| Blainvillea | Erysimum | Mentha | Santolina |
| Boerhavia | Escallonia | Merremia | Sapindus |
| Borreria | Eucalyptus | Meryta | Sassafras |
| Bougainvillea | Eugenia | Metrosideros | Scabiosa |
| Brachiaria | Euphorbia | Mikania | Schinus |
| Brachyglottis | Euploca | Miscanthus | Senecio |
| Brassica | Euryops | Modiola | Senegalia |
| Bromus | Eutrochium | Monadenium | Senna |
| Broussonetia | Facelis | Montia | Setaria |
| Byrsonima | Fagopyrum | Moquiniastrum | Sida |
| Calicotome | Fagus | Morus | Silybum |
| Callicarpa | Fallopia | Muhlenbergia | Simmondsia |
| Callistemon | Fallugia | Muscadinia | Sisymbrium |
| Callistephus | Fatsia | Myoporum | Smilax |
| Calluna | Festuca | Myrtus | Solanum |
| Calocephalus | Ficus | Nandina | Solidago |
| Calylophus | Fragaria | Neillia | Sonchus |
| Calyptocarpus | Frangula | Neptunia | Sophora |
| Campsis | Franseria | Nerium | Sorghum |
| Canna | Fraxinus | Nicotiana | Spartium |
| Cannabis | Fuchsia | Nothoscordum | Spermacoce |
| Capsella | Funastrum | Nyssa | Spondias |
| Carex | Gahnia | Oenanthe | Stachys |
| Carpinus | Galium | Oenothera | Stellaria |
| Cartrema | Gamochaeta | Olea | Stephanandra |
| Carya | Gaura | Olearia | Stewartia |
| Cassia | Gazania | Origanum | Strelitzia |
| Castanea | Genista | Osmanthus | Strepsia |
| Castilleja | Geranium | Osteospermum | Streptocarpus |
| Catalpa | Ginkgo | Oxalis | Symphoricarpos |
| Catharanthus | Gleditsia | Oxydendrum | Symphyotrichum |
| Cedrela | Gliricidia | Pachystegia | Synadenium |
| Celastrus | Gochnatia | Panicum | Syringa |
| Celtis | Grevillea | Parahebe | Syzygium |
| Cenchrus | Halimium | Parthenium | Talinum |
| Cephalanthus | Haloragis | Parthenocissus | Tamarix |
| Cercis | Hamamelis | Paspalum | Tapirira |
| Chamaecrista | Hebe | Passiflora | Taraxacum |
| Chamaesyce | Hedera | Paulownia | Teucrium |
| Chenopodiastrum | Helianthus | Pedilanthus | Thymus |
| Chenopodium | Helichrysum | Pelargonium | Tillandsia |
| Chilopsis | Heliotropium | Pennisetum | Toxicodendron |
| Chionanthus | Hemerocallis | Perovskia | Trema |
| Chloris | Heteromeles | Persea | Tribulus |
| Cinnamomum | Heterotheca | Persicaria | Trifolium |
| Cistus | Hibiscus | Phagnalon | Ulex |
| Citrus | Hordeum | Phalaris | Ulmus |
| Cladrastis | Humulus | Philadelphus | Umbellularia |
| Claytonia | Hydrangea | Phillyrea | Uncinia |
| Clematis | Hypericum | Phleum | Urochloa |
| Clethra | Hypochaeris | Phlomis | Urtica |
| Clianthus | Ilex | Phlox | Vaccinium |
| Clinopodium | Impatiens | Phoenix | Verbena |
| Coelorachis | Indigofera | Phormium | Vernonia |
| Coffea | Inga | Photinia | Veronica |
| Coleonema | Iochroma | Phragmites | Viburnum |
| Commelina | Ipomoea | Phyla | Vicia |
| Conium | Iva | Phyllocladus | Vinca |
| Convolvulus | Jacaranda | Phytarrhiza | Viridantha |
| Conyza | Jacobaea | Phytolacca | Vitex |
| Coprosma | Juglans | Pieris | Vitis |
| Cordyline | Juniperus | Pinus | Vulpia |
| Cornus | Justicia | Pistacia | Westringia |
| Corokia | Kali | Pittosporum | Wisteria |
| Coronilla | Kerria | Pityrophyllum | Xanthium |
| Coronopus | Koelreuteria | Plantago | Youngia |
| Cortaderia | Lactuca | Platanus | x Chitalpa |
| Corynocarpus | Lagerstroemia | Platystachys |
Measures for Xylella
Emergency measures to manage Xylella in host nursery stock and seeds for sowing will be in place until 20 January 2027.
Read more about the emergency Xylella measures.
From 20 January 2027, updated conditions will apply to Xylella host nursery stock in line with recommendations of the pest risk analysis (PRA) for bacterial pathogens in the genus Xylella.
Read more about these changes and implementation timeframes.
Future reviews and updates
We will continue to review and update import conditions when there is new information on the spread of the bacteria, its host range and pathway compliance.
A BICON Alert will be issued to notify stakeholders of any significant changes to import requirements.
Contact us
For additional enquiries, email imports@aff.gov.au using the subject line ‘Plant T2 – Xylella’.