14 March 2023
Who does this notice affect?
Importers, exporters and brokers of Phalaenopsis nursery stock sourced from approved sources under the high health arrangement between Australia and Taiwan.
What has changed?
The department has reviewed the bacterial plant pathogen Dickeya spp. on Phalaenopsis spp. nursery stock imported from approved sources in Taiwan produced under the high health arrangement with Australia.
As a result of this review, the department has decided to de-regulate Dickeya spp. detections on this pathway. This decision was determined from the following considerations:
- The distribution and pathway association of quarantine species of Dickeya in Taiwan
- Controls and measures applied by approved sources administered under the high-health arrangement
Together, these factors manage the risks posed by potential of an actionable quarantine species of Dickeya being introduced offshore on this pathway.
As a result of the review the following operational changes will take immediate effect:
- Plants imported under the Taiwan high health Phalaenopsis arrangement and detected on arrival with unidentified species within the genus Dickeya will no longer be regulated as an actionable biosecurity pathogen. Therefore imported Taiwan high health Phalaenopsis plants found to be infected with any species of Dickeya. will no longer be required to be directed for remedial actions, provided that no other actionable biosecurity pests and/or pathogens are detected.
- Detections of Dickeya spp. on all other nursery stock, including Phalaenopsis from non-approved high health sources will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and remedial actions may still be required for those import pathways.
- The department will continue to monitor emerging information on Dickeya spp. to ensure import conditions are effective to manage biosecurity risks to Australia’s appropriate level of protection.
Further information
Please contact Plant Import Operations by email at Imports@aff.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email ‘Plant Tier 2 – Nursery stock’.