11 August 2021
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to importers (and their customs brokers) of Lolium spp., Festuca spp. seeds and their hybrids (Festulolium spp.) for the end use of sowing and human consumption.
What has changed?
The purpose of this notice is to advise that as a result of a departmental review, the department has updated our approach to manage imported seed lots of Lolium spp., Festuca spp. seeds and their hybrids (Festulolium spp.), that are found with sclerotia contamination.
- Where sclerotia has been identified as a contaminant and has been identified as one of the below species, the detection will continue to be considered as non-actionable for Australia:
- Sclerotium bataticola
- Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
- Sclerotium rolfsii.
- Where sclerotia has been identified as a contaminant and is not one of the species listed above or cannot be identified to species level, a 0.05% tolerance level will be in place.
If the sclerotia cannot be identified to species level and is over the 0.05% tolerance level, remedial actions to manage the contaminant risk will be required. Remedial actions may include further species identification, cleaning, export or disposal.
These changes have been reflected in the department’s webpage for Seed contaminants and tolerance tables.
When will the changes be implemented?
The above changes apply to all Lolium spp., Festuca spp. or Festulolium spp. seed consignments that have been:
- exported to Australia on or after 11 August 2021
- accompanied by an offshore seed purity certificate (e.g., Orange ISTA Certificate, NAL certificate) in which sclerotia is identified as a contaminant
- onshore purity tested and where sclerotia is identified as a contaminant.
Note: Commercial documentation will be required to confirm the date of export (e.g., Bill of Lading, airway bill) to Australia.
Further information
Please contact Plant Import Operations on 1800 900 090 or email imports@aff.gov.au
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