Seeds for sowing

Ministry for Primary Industries, Import Health Standard: Seeds for Sowing (155.02.05). Language(s): English. Number of pages: 193

MPI is proposing the following changes to the Import Health Standard Seeds for Sowing (155.02.05):

1.    Adding an option for seeds to come from an area where a pest is absent as per ISPM 8: Determination of pest status in an area, in situations where there is already an option for the seeds to come from a pest-free area;

2.    This involves changing the requirements in 33 schedules in Part 2 of the Import Health Standard. The schedules are Acrocomia, Agropyron, Arachis hypogaea, Avena, Beta, Camellia sinensis, Cannabis sativa, Capsicum, Cicer, Cocos, Coriandrum, Corypha, Cuminum, Elaeis, Glebionis, Glycine, Hordeum, Lavandula, Livistona, Medicago, Petunia, Phaseolus, Phoenix, Pisum, Sesamum, Solanum, Solanum lycopersicum, Sorghum, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Triticum, Vicia and Zea;

3.    Changing the wording for additional declarations for pests from "not known to occur" to "the seeds are produced in an area where [pest] is absent";

4.    This involves changing the requirements in 18 schedules in Part 2 of the Import Health Standard. The schedules are Capsicum, Carpinus, Carya, Castanea, Citrus, Cucumis, Cucurbitaceae, Desmodium, Eriobotryia, Helianthus, Juglans, Lens, Lithocarpus densiflorus, Medicago, Nicotiana tabacum, Quercus, Ulmus and Vigna;

5.    Changing the requirements for importing seeds of New Zealand origin in section 1.7 in the standard;

6.    Removing the following pests in Part 2 of the Import Health Standard:

·        Claviceps gigantea and Cochliobolus tuberculatus from the Zea schedule;

·        Cochliobolus miyabeanus from the Phaseolus schedule;

·        High plains virus from the Avena, Hordeum and Triticum schedule;

·        Curvularia verruculosa from the Triticum schedule;

·        Grapevine yellow speckle viroid 2 from the Vitis schedule;

7.    Adding seed testing (offshore or on-arrival in New Zealand) as an option for a phytosanitary measure in Part 2 of the Import Health Standard, for:

·    Xanthomonas campestris pv. undulosa in the Avena, Hordeum and Triticum schedule;

·        Pseudomonas syringae pv. striafaciens in the Hordeum schedule;

·        Rathayibacter tritici in the Hordeum and Triticum schedule;

·        Xanthomonas campestris pv. sesami in the Sesamum schedule;

·    Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vignicola in the Vigna schedule;

8.    Increasing the sample size for testing Arachis hypogaea seeds for Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum from 400 seeds to 4,000 seeds;

9.    Adding testing requirements for Tomato black ring virus for Rubus and Vitis seeds;

10.  Listing Rumex sanguineus as eligible to import into New Zealand under basic import requirements;

11.  Removing the requirement for importers to declare that the seed in their consignments is not a seed lot of the following varieties of Beta vulgaris var. rapacea: Kyros 16UB128, Bangor 16UB126, Bangor 15UB079, Bangor 16UB114, Feldherr 16UB131 or Troya 16UB112 in section 1.9 in the Import Health Standard.