28 April 2021
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 2020-2021 flight season of the Burnt Pine Longicorn (BPL) beetle concluded on 31 March 2021.
The department was advised by MPI NZ that an additional two weeks of monitoring would be performed until 14 April 2021, to confirm that there were no late season flights. No further flights were notified during this period.
The department 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 14 April 2021.
The Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) will no longer send a BPL questionnaire to targeted vessels after submission of mandatory pre-arrival reporting.
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).
Timber and timber products imported from New Zealand will no longer be subject to specific import requirements that were applied during the BPL flight season. For current timber and timber product import conditions, please see BICON.