17 November 2014
This Biosecurity Advice notifies stakeholders of the commencement of a review of import conditions for fresh ginger from Fiji.
Stakeholders are invited to make technical submissions relevant to the terms of reference for the review until 19 December 2014.
Stakeholders are also invited to nominate relevant scientific experts who may be called on to assist during the review.
The final Import Risk Analysis (IRA) report for fresh ginger from Fiji was completed on 22 January 2013 and trade commenced on 15 September 2014. The report identified a number of pests of quarantine concern to Australia including a putative intraspecific ginger variant of Radopholus similis and specified risk management measures required to reduce the risks associated with the importation of fresh ginger from Fiji to an appropriate level for Australia.
Risk management measures are taken into account in decisions to issue import permits to Australian companies who seek to import fresh ginger from Fiji.
The final IRA report for fresh ginger from Fiji made a commitment to review the import policy after one year of trade, including the quarantine status of Radopholus similis.
The management measures implemented in 2014 consider the entire commercial importation pathway including agronomic practice and commercial procedures for planting, growing in-field, harvesting, cleaning, grading, curing, packaging and exporting to Australia. The measures require a combination of procedures in that export system, which contribute to effectively manage the identified biosecurity risks along the export pathway in the exporting country, mandatory treatment with methyl bromide and inspections in Fiji and on arrival in Australia.
Terms of Reference
The terms of reference for the review are to:
- Evaluate the efficacy of the measures applied to manage the biosecurity risks associated with fresh ginger from Fiji by:
- analysing and evaluating pest interceptions from on-arrival inspections, including evaluating the compliance of on-arrival fumigation
- evaluating information from audits in the exporting country
- gathering, recording and evaluating any information on additional processes in Fiji to ensure compliance with the import requirements and
- evaluating any other relevant additional scientific information that is available.
- Consider and make recommendations on further actions to confirm the quarantine status of Radopholus similis, including additional scientific information relating to this including on the efficacy of methyl bromide as a phytosanitary measure.
Conduct of the review
The review will be conducted under the oversight of the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer (ACPPO) within the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. The ACPPO will, if required, engage external expertise in this review. Stakeholders are invited to nominate relevant scientific experts who may be called on to assist during the review.
The review will be evidence-based and focussed on the science but there will be opportunity for the community to input through the consultation process.
Timeline
Stakeholders are invited to make technical submissions relevant to the terms of reference for the review until 19 December 2014.
A draft report is planned for released in April 2015 for a 30 day consultation period during which stakeholders may make submissions.
A final report is planned for release in June 2015, at least one month prior to the expected commencement of trade for the 2015 season.
Further information
The final IRA report for fresh ginger from Fiji is available on the department’s website. Details of the import conditions for fresh ginger can be found on the Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) also available on the department’s website.
Dr Kim Ritman
Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer
Contact: Kim Ritman
Telephone: +61 2 6272 4671
Facsimile: +61 2 6272 3307
Lodging a submission: There is no specific format for a submission, but they must be in writing, and identify the relevant technical biosecurity issues being raised with supporting evidence. Preferably, submissions should be in Microsoft Word or other text-based formats and lodged electronically via email, but postal submissions are acceptable. Submissions should be received by the department within the stated comment period and addressed to:
Plant Biosecurity
Australian Government Department of Agriculture
GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA
Telephone: +61 2 6272 3933
Facsimile: +61 2 6272 3307
Email: Plant
Privacy: Personal information collected by the department will only be used to enable the department to contact you about your submission and may be disclosed to specialists, another Commonwealth government agency, a State or Territory government agency or foreign government department, provided the disclosure is consistent with relevant laws, in particular the Privacy Act 1988.
The department requests that, as a minimum, you provide your name and contact details with your submission. Please indicate if you do not wish to have personal information published with your submission or disclosed to third parties. Collected personal information will be used and stored consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles as outlined in the department’s Privacy Policy available on the department’s website.
Confidentiality: Subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1988, content of submissions may be made public, unless you state you want all or part of your submission to be treated as confidential. A claim for confidentiality must be justified and provided as an attachment, marked ‘Confidential’. ‘Confidential’ material will not be made public. The department reserves the right not to publish submissions.
No breach of confidence will occur if the department shares your submission with a third party referred to under ‘Privacy’ in seeking advice in response to your submission.
Intellectual property: Responsibility for compliance with Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in submissions rests with the author(s). In lodging a submission, you warrant you have not knowingly infringed any third party IPR. By lodging a submission, you grant the Commonwealth a permanent, irrevocable, royalty-free, world-wide, non-exclusive licence to use, copy, reproduce, adapt, communicate and exploit all or any of the material contained in the submission.