7 March 2024
This Biosecurity Advice notifies stakeholders of the release of the final report for Passionfruit from Vietnam: biosecurity import requirements.
The final report recommends that the importation of commercially produced passionfruit to Australia from all commercial production areas of Vietnam can be permitted, subject to a range of biosecurity requirements.
The final report takes into account comments received from stakeholders on the draft report released on 13 July 2023.
We announced the commencement of the risk analysis on 30 August 2022 (via Biosecurity Advice 2022-P08) and released the draft report for public consultation on 13 July 2023 (Biosecurity Advice 2023-P04). Comments from stakeholders on the draft report were taken into consideration in preparing the final report.
This risk analysis was conducted in response to a formal market access request from Vietnam for passionfruit to Australia.
The final report identifies 12 pests associated with passionfruit from Vietnam that require risk management measures to reduce the biosecurity risk to an acceptable level. These pests are:
- false spider mites: Brevipalpus phoenicis species complex
- fruit flies: Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae) and pumpkin fruit fly (Zeugodacus tau)
- mealybug: Pacific mealybug (Planococcus minor)
- scale insects: dictyospermum scale (Chrysomphalus dictyospermi), mulberry scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona) and West Indian red scale (Selenaspidus articulatus)
- spider mite: Tetranychus piercei
- thrips: melon thrips (Thrips palmi), cotton thrips (Frankliniella schultzei species complex) and chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis).
Of these 12 pests:
- eleven are quarantine pests, of which 3 are also regulated articles, including
- melon thrips and cotton thrips, which were also identified as regulated articles as they are capable of harbouring and spreading emerging orthotospoviruses that are quarantine pests for Australia
- false spider mites, which were also identified as regulated articles as they are capable of vectoring viruses that are quarantine pests for Australia. However, there are no reports of the quarantine viruses vectored by false spider mites being present in Vietnam. Therefore, the regulated article aspect of false spider mites is not applicable to the passionfruit from Vietnam pathway.
- one is a non-quarantine pest (chilli thrips) but is identified as a regulated article as it is capable of harbouring and spreading quarantine orthotospoviruses.
The final report recommends risk management measures, combined with an operational system, to ensure biosecurity standards are met.
The recommended risk management measures, together with the operational system, will reduce the risks posed by the 12 identified pests to achieve the appropriate level of protection for Australia. These measures are:
- for fruit flies:
- pest free areas, pest free places of production or pest free production sites; or
- fruit treatment considered to be effective against fruit flies, such as irradiation
- for false spider mites, mealybug, scale insects, spider mite and thrips:
- pre-export visual inspection, and if found, remedial action.
The final report and more information about this risk analysis are available on our website.
We invite stakeholders interested in receiving information and updates on biosecurity risk analyses to subscribe via our online subscription service. By subscribing to Biosecurity Risk Analysis Plant, you will receive Biosecurity Advices and other notifications relating to plant biosecurity policy, including this risk analysis.
Monica Collins
First Assistant Secretary
Biosecurity Plant and Science Services Division
7 March 2024
Telephone: 1800 900 090 (when prompted select option 1, then option 1)
Email: imports@aff.gov.au