Measures for plant products under the khapra beetle urgent actions

The following are high risk plant products which are a host of khapra beetle:

• Bean seed (Phaseolus spp.)
• Celery seed (Apium graveolens)
• Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum)
• Coriander seed (Coriandrum sativum)
• Cucurbit seed (Cucurbita, Cucumis, Citrullus spp.)
• Cumin seed (Cuminum cyminum)
• Dried chillies/capsicum (Capsicum spp.)
• Faba bean, broad bean, fava bean (Vicia faba)
• Fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare)
• Lentils (Lens culinaris)
• Mung beans, cowpeas (Vigna spp.)
• Pea seed (Pisum sativum)
• Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)
• Pigeon Pea seed (Cajanus cajan)
• Rice (Oryza sativa)
• Safflower seed (Carthamus tinctorius)
• Soybean (Glycine max)
• Wheat seed (Triticum spp.)

Important: High-risk plant products also includes all synonyms and subordinate taxa of the species listed above.

Exemptions:

• Commercially prepared and packaged goods that have been thermally processed so that the nature of the material has been transformed from their original raw form, such as retorted, blanched, roasted, fried, par-boiled, boiled, puffed, malted or pasteurised.
• Goods that are commercially milled or ground to a powder, meal or flakes and packaged in bags less than or equal to 25kg.
• Breakfast cereals, instant cereal beverage mixes, couscous meal mixes and snack foods (including muesli bars, granola bars and wholefood bars/balls, trail mixes) that are commercially prepared and retail packaged*
• Bakery and bread mixes (including whole seeds) that are commercially prepared and retail packaged*
• Commercially prepared and packaged herbal teas, with or without seeds (including loose leaf and teabags).
• Goods that are chemically processed and preserved such as with a Formalin Propionic Acid fixative, Formalin Acetic acid alcohol, Carnoy’s fixative or ethanol.
• Fresh vegetables.
• Commercially manufactured frozen or freeze-dried food (perishable foodstuffs only).
• Frozen plant samples for plant research (including through the use of liquid nitrogen and freeze drying).
• Oils derived from vegetables or seed.
• Preserved or pickled.
• Goods that have been refined or extracted to obtain specific components from plant-based raw materials (including starch, lecithin, protein, cellulose, sugars and pigments).

*An imported good is considered retail packaged if it has been commercially prepared and packaged overseas and is in a final state that requires no further processing, packaging or labelling prior to retail sale or consumer use in Australia.

Failure to comply with these requirements will result in export or destruction of the products upon arrival in Australia.

Important:
The following high-risk plant products, imported as low value (less than $1,000) air and sea freight (lodged through self-assessed clearance (SAC) are excluded from this ban:

Supporting documentation

High-risk plant products are banned from being imported into Australia via:

• baggage carried by international travellers (including crew) entering via sea or air
• mail articles (including items posted using Express Mail Service).

Failure to comply with these requirements will result in export or destruction of the products upon arrival in Australia.

Supporting documentation

Import conditions for high-risk plant products imported via commercial pathways have changed. For the full list of import conditions refer to BICON.

These conditions apply to air and sea freight, including Less than Container Load (LCL) and Full Container Load/Full Container Consolidated (FCL/FCX) containers. Seeds for sowing and goods that are imported for research purposes coming as low value freight (less than $1000) are excluded from these requirements.

The conditions vary depending on whether the exporting country is a khapra beetle target risk country or not. The table below outlines the importation requirements for khapra risk countries and all other countries.

Table 1: Importation requirements

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the export of the container and/or the goods on-arrival in Australia.

Low value freight

High-risk plant products arriving as low value freight will only be permitted entry if the consignment is:

• imported for commercial use by an Australian company or business
• meets the relevant treatment or inspection requirement listed in Table 1 above.

To demonstrate that the goods have been imported for commercial use, one of the following documents will be required:

• supplier’s declaration
• manufacturer’s declaration
• commercial invoice, or
• importer declaration.

The document must provide evidence that the goods have been imported by an Australian company or business.

High-risk plant products must be:

• fumigated offshore with methyl bromide at one of the rates listed in Table 2
• treated by a provider:
  • listed as ‘approved’ on the List of Treatment Providers, or
  • listed as ‘generic’ on the List of unregistered Treatment Providers, or
  • under the direct supervision of the certifying National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO)
• accompanied by a methyl bromide treatment certificate
• accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate.

The treatment and treatment certificate must meet the requirements of the Methyl Bromide Fumigation Methodology.

Table 2: Methyl bromide fumigation treatment rates

Notes: Dose increases to compensate for temperatures less than 10°C are NOT permitted.

Packaging requirements for an effective fumigation

To ensure the fumigant effectively treats the products, the products must be either fumigated:

• in gas permeable packaging; OR
• prior to being sealed in gas impermeable packaging.

Examples of gas permeable packaging include:

• woven fabrics and plastics that are not lined/laminated with impermeable materials
• dry cloth
• perforated plastics or cellophane that meet the perforation requirements of the Methyl Bromide Fumigation Methodology
• paper and cardboard that is not waxed, lined, laminated or painted.

Examples of gas impermeable packaging include:

• solid plastic or cellophane (including sheets, bags, pouches, films, wraps)
• woven fabrics and plastics that are lined, coated or laminated with impermeable materials
• paper and cardboard that is waxed, lined, laminated, or painted
• sealed pouches, tins and cans
• sealed glass jars and bottles.

The high-risk plant products must be:

• heat treated offshore at a minimum temperature of 60°C for 120 minutes, measured at the core of the goods
• Treated by a provider:
  • listed as ‘approved’ on the List of Treatment Providers, or
  • listed as ‘generic’ on the List of unregistered Treatment Providers, or
  • under the direct supervision of the certifying National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO)
• accompanied by a heat treatment certificate
• accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate.

The treatment and treatment certificate must meet the requirements of the Heat Treatment Methodology.

Note: the above heat treatment rate (60°C for 120 minutes) applies to high-risk plant products only. The khapra beetle heat treatment rate for sea containers is 60°C for 180 minutes, as detailed on the sea containers webpage.

High-risk plant products must be:

• treated offshore using a controlled atmosphere treatment at one of the rates in Table 3
• accompanied by a controlled atmosphere treatment certificate
• accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate
• accompanied by an import permit. Please include the following details in your permit application:
  • controlled atmosphere treatment rate that will be used
  • name and contact details of the treatment provider
  • details of any government registration or approvals to treat goods for export
  • type/brand of controlled atmosphere treatment system
  • how the plant products are packaged for treatment.

Table 3: Controlled Atmosphere Treatments: Altered pressure rates

Notes: The temperature must be for the enclosure and the products.

Packaging requirements for an effective treatment

To ensure the treatment effectively treats the products, the products must be treated either:

• in gas permeable packaging; OR
• prior to being sealed in gas impermeable packaging.

Examples of gas permeable packaging include:

• woven fabrics and plastics that are not lined/laminated with impermeable materials
• dry cloth
• perforated plastics or cellophane that meet the perforation requirements of the Controlled Atmosphere Treatment Methodology
• paper and cardboard that is not waxed, lined, laminated or painted.

Examples of gas impermeable packaging include:

• solid plastic or cellophane (including sheets, bags, pouches, films, wraps)
• woven fabrics and plastics that are lined, coated or laminated with impermeable materials
• paper and cardboard that is waxed, lined, laminated, or painted
• sealed pouches, tins and cans
• sealed glass jars and bottles.

See our packaging suitability guide for more information: Guide to packaging suitability for performing QPS treatments.

High-risk plant products must be:

• treated offshore using a controlled atmosphere treatment at one of the rates listed in Table 4
• accompanied by a controlled atmosphere treatment certificate
• accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate
• accompanied by an import permit. Please include the following details in your permit application:
  • controlled atmosphere treatment rate that will be used
  • name and contact details of the treatment provider
  • details of any government registration or approvals to treat goods for export
  • type/brand of controlled atmosphere treatment system
  • how the plant products are packaged for treatment.

The treatment and the treatment certificate must meet the requirements of the Controlled Atmosphere Treatment Methodology.

Table 4: Controlled Atmosphere Treatments: Atmospheric pressure rates

Notes: The temperature must be for the enclosure and the products.

Packaging requirements for an effective treatment

To ensure the treatment effectively treats the products, the products must be treated either:

• in gas permeable packaging; OR
• prior to being sealed in gas impermeable packaging.

Examples of gas permeable packaging include:

• woven fabrics and plastics that are not lined/laminated with impermeable materials
• dry cloth
• perforated plastics or cellophane that meet the perforation requirements of the Controlled Atmosphere Treatment Methodology
• paper and cardboard that is not waxed, lined, laminated or painted.

Examples of gas impermeable packaging include:

• solid plastic or cellophane (including sheets, bags, pouches, films, wraps)
• woven fabrics and plastics that are lined, coated or laminated with impermeable materials
• paper and cardboard that is waxed, lined, laminated, or painted
• sealed pouches, tins and cans
• sealed glass jars and bottles.

See our packaging suitability guide for more information: Guide to packaging suitability for performing QPS treatments.

Recognising that our approved treatment options may not be feasible for some products and pathways, we have approved the alternative treatment option of controlled atmosphere treatments. We are committed to providing additional alternative treatment options where possible and as such, we are exploring and will continue to consider other alternatives.

We welcome submissions on alternative treatments. Alternative treatment options must be proven to be effective against all life stages of khapra beetle. For us to consider an alternative treatment option, the submission must include:

• a treatment targeted at the diapausing larvae stage of khapra beetle (as this is the most difficult life stage to kill)
• efficacy data demonstrating effectiveness of the treatment
• independently validated results.

If you would like to submit an alternative treatment option for our consideration, please contact us via email imports@aff.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email with ‘Plant Tier 2 – khapra urgent actions’).

The treatment must be completed within 21 days of export. To demonstrate compliance with this requirement, the date of export (as indicated on an air waybill, bill of lading, sealing declaration, gate in gate out certificate or forwarder’s cargo receipt) must be within 21 days of the goods being treated (as indicated on the treatment certificate).

Note: under the department’s Minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy, a consignment is considered to be exported either when it is:

• lodged with the freight forwarder, shipping company/airline, charter operator or an appointed agent in the place of origin, for ultimate destination in an Australian territory, OR
• shipped on board the vessel for an ultimate destination in an Australian territory, OR
• packed in a container and sealed in preparation for transport for an ultimate destination in an Australia territory.

As outlined in Table 1 above, all high-risk plant products imported via high-value sea and air freight require phytosanitary certification. The phytosanitary certificate must include an additional declaration, as detailed below.

Khapra beetle country of export

If the products are to be exported from a khapra beetle target risk country, the following information applies.

The declarations required on the phytosanitary certificate will depend on the treatment type used to treat the products and the status of the treatment provider.

• Treatments do not require supervision by the exporting government’s National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) if undertaken by a treatment provider listed as 'approved' (on the List of Treatment Providers) or as 'generic' (on the List of unregistered Treatment Providers). 
• Treatments require supervision by the exporting government’s NPPO if undertaken by a treatment provider listed as 'suspended', 'under review' or 'withdrawn' (on the List of Treatment Providers) or as 'unacceptable' or ‘under review’ (on the List of unregistered Treatment Providers).

Table 5: Additional declarations that are required on the phytosanitary certificate for high-risk plant products exported from khapra beetle target risk countries

All other countries

If the products are to be exported from any other country, i.e. a country not listed as khapra beetle target risk country, the following information applies.

All high-risk plant products must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate that includes the following additional declaration:

“Representative samples were inspected and found free from evidence of any species of Trogoderma (whether live, dead or exuviae) in Australia’s list of Trogoderma species of biosecurity concern”.

Did you know? The genus Trogoderma currently has more than 150 known species with varied world distribution. A number of Trogoderma species including khapra beetle have been identified as pests of biosecurity concern for Australia. For a full list see Australia’s list of Trogoderma species of biosecurity concern.

The following table outlines which other-risk plant products are subject to the khapra measures. The measures apply to all end uses, except herbarium specimens and research material.

* ‘Accompanied baggage’ means goods that are brought or imported into Australia by a passenger, or a member of the crew, of a ship or aircraft.

** ‘Low value freight’ means goods that are brought or imported into Australia as air or sea freight with a value not exceeding the amount prescribed for the purposes of subparagraph 68(1)(f)(iii) of the Customs Act 1901.

Exemptions:

• Commercially prepared and packaged goods that have been thermally processed so that the nature of the material has been transformed from their original raw form, such as retorted, blanched, roasted, fried, par-boiled, boiled, puffed, malted or pasteurised.
• Goods that are commercially milled or ground to a powder, meal or flakes and packaged in bags less than or equal to 25kg.
• Breakfast cereals, instant cereal beverage mixes, couscous meal mixes and snack foods (including muesli bars, granola bars and wholefood bars/balls, trail mixes) that are commercially prepared and retail packaged*
• Bakery and bread mixes (including whole seeds) that are commercially prepared and retail packaged*
• Commercially prepared and packaged herbal teas, with or without seeds (including loose leaf and teabags).
• Goods that are chemically processed and preserved such as with a Formalin Propionic Acid fixative, Formalin Acetic acid alcohol, Carnoy’s fixative or ethanol.
• Fresh vegetables.
• Commercially prepared, shelled nuts packaged under strong vacuum.
• Commercially manufactured frozen or freeze-dried food (perishable foodstuffs only).
• Commercially prepared and retail packaged*peppercorn grinders.
• Commercially vacuum-sealed green coffee bean trade samples imported as mail or passenger baggage or low value freight (below dutiable customs value).
• Frozen plant samples for plant research (including through the use of liquid nitrogen and freeze drying).
• Oils derived from vegetables or seed.
• Preserved or pickled.
• Goods that have been refined or extracted to obtain specific components from plant-based raw materials (including refined gum, starch, lecithin, protein, cellulose, sugars and pigments).
• Medicinal cannabis plant parts other than seed products irradiated at or above 1 KGy.

*An imported good is considered retail packaged if it has been commercially prepared and packaged overseas and is in a final state that requires no further processing, packaging or labelling prior to retail sale or consumer use in Australia.

All other-risk plant products are required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate that includes the following additional declaration:

“Representative samples were inspected and found free from evidence of any species of Trogoderma (whether live, dead or exuviae) in Australia’s list of Trogoderma species of biosecurity concern”.

Did you know? The genus Trogoderma currently has more than 150 known species with varied world distribution. A number of Trogoderma species including khapra beetle have been identified as pests of biosecurity concern for Australia. For a full list see Australia’s list of Trogoderma species of biosecurity concern.