18 April 2024
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to international vessel masters, shipping agents and importers of timber and timber products exported from New Zealand to Australia.
What has changed?
The Ministry for Primary Industries New Zealand (MPI NZ) has advised the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) that the 2023-2024 flight season of the Burnt Pine Longicorn (BPL) beetle will conclude at midnight, 23:59 hours on 18 April 2024.
The department will therefore cease 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 19 April 2024.
- The Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) will no longer send a BPL questionnaire to targeted vessels after submission of mandatory pre-arrival reporting.
- 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 (NMC) 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.