23 April 2020
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to international vessel masters, shipping agents and importers of timber and timber products.
What has changed?
The Ministry of Primary Industries New Zealand (MPI NZ) has advised the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (the department) that the 2019-2020 flight season of the Burnt Pine Longicorn (BPL) beetle has concluded.
The department has therefore ceased its annual heightened surveillance regime for managing the risks posed by Burnt Pine Longicorn (BPL) beetles on vessels departing New Zealand from midnight, 24:00 hours (NZST) on 17 April 2020.
- The Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) will no longer send a BPL questionnaire to targeted vessels after submission of mandatory pre-arrival reporting.
- The Maritime National Coordination Centre (MNCC) will continue to risk assess vessels departing New Zealand prior to the end of the flight season, until 1 May 2020, to determine if a BPL inspection will be performed.
- BPL vessel inspections are expected be completed shortly after the MNCC ceases vessel BPL assessments.
- Timber and timber products imported from New Zealand will no longer be subject to specific import requirements that are applied during the BPL flight season.
Further information:
Contact the department’s Maritime National Coordination Centre (MNCC) by email or phone 1300 004 605 (in Australia) or +61 8 8201 6185 (outside Australia).
For current timber and timber product import conditions, please see BICON.