Importing commercial plants and plant products

Changes to importing mangoes and plums

Mangoes and plums that have been fumigated with methyl bromide gas (ICA-04) will not be accepted for entry into South Australia, per updates to the PQS.

Learn your immediate verification requirements

Regulations and entry requirements apply for:

  • importing commercial plant and plant products into South Australia
  • moving commercial plant and plant products into or from declared quarantine areas within South Australia.

Declared quarantine areas within South Australia include:

  • Fruit fly affected areas
  • Riverland Pest Free Area
  • Kangaroo Island Production Protected Area.

On 29 July 2021, changes were made to the accepted treatments and conditions for growers and distributors who move consignments of fruit fly host produce to the Riverland, directly or via Adelaide.

Find out more about the changes for importing fruit and vegetables into the Riverland.

Certification requirements

Appropriate certification must accompany regulated, imported commercial host plants and plant products.

Certificates must state that the products meet all requirements stipulated in the Plant Quarantine Standard (PQS) – this ensures they are pest free.

There are 3 types of plant health certification:

  • Plant Health Certificates (PHC)
  • Plant Health Assurance Certificates (PHAC)
  • Biosecure HACCP Biosecurity Certificates (BHBC).

A declaration of source document may be accepted instead of the above certifications, allowing the business to confirm that produce did not originate in high-risk areas. However, it cannot be used in lieu of plant health certification when a PHC, PHAC or BHBC is required.

Plant Health Certificates (PHC)

PHCs are issued by inspectors or officers authorised under relevant state legislation. In South Australia these are known as authorised inspectors under the Plant Health Act 2009.

Prior to a certificate being issued, authorised inspectors must verify interstate plant quarantine requirements have been met. They may need to:

  • sight records
  • witness the application of treatments
  • complete a physical inspection of the product or source property
  • complete other actions determined to validate that interstate quarantine requirements have been met (fees apply).

Plant Health Assurance Certificates (PHAC)

PHACs are issued by businesses accredited to prepare and certify their own produce for interstate movement. These use either of the following systems:

  • Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA)
  • Compliance Arrangements (CA).

Accreditation for ICA and CAs are for growers and distributors who move consignments of regulated plant and plant related products interstate, or to intrastate markets. See the accepted procedures for entry into SA:

If you are a South Australian exporter, grower or distributer sending produce interstate, and into or from quarantine areas, use the ICA and CA operational procedures and application forms.

Plant Health Assurance Certificate template (PDF 65.2 KB)

Plant pest restrictions

Tomato potato psyllid (TTP)

TPP was detected in Western Australia in 2017. As a result, South Australia has import controls in place for the following items coming into the state from WA:

  • plant material
  • fruit and vegetables and associated planting media
  • machinery and equipment.

Learn more about the pest insect, tomato potato psyllid.

Green snail host material

Learn about the restrictions in place for importing material that can host green snail.

Verification requirements

Commercial host plants and plant products must be inspected and cleared for import into South Australia. This can be done by either:

  • Accreditation – Import Verification Compliance Arrangement (IVCA)
  • Direct inspection – Biosecurity officers inspect and clear the plants and related products.

Clearance is mandatory and penalties apply for failing to comply.

View fees for these clearances.

Accreditation through IVCA

Accredited businesses must clear their plant and plant products for entry to South Australia:

Direct inspections

Direct inspections are charged at an hourly rate and take place within business hours, with at least 24 hours’ notice.

You can apply online, or download a form to apply for a direct inspection:

Requirements for mangoes and plums

Per the Chief Inspector's Biosecurity Notice, mangoes and plums that have been fumigated with methyl bromide gas (ICA-04) will not be accepted for entry into SA.

This change under Condition 13 of the PQS will apply for:

  • mangoes as of 21 February 2024
  • plums from 22 March 2024.

Businesses importing either of these commodities will need to conduct additional inspections of fumigated mangoes and plums effective immediately, up until the abovementioned dates.

Annual importer registration

Importers who bring plant and plant products into South Australia must register each year:

Importing plant diagnostic material from interstate

Importing diagnostic materials for laboratory analysis or research purposes is regulated under the Plant Health Act 2009 and the South Australian Plant Quarantine Standard. This applies to interstate importation of:

  • grapevine
  • soil
  • plant material.

Diagnostic material must either be dispatched to a CA12 Accredited laboratory within South Australia, or a Plant Health Import Certificate (PHIC) must be obtained from PIRSA for every consignment.

Plant Health Import Certificate (PHIC)

The PHIC option can be costly, as there is a fixed price for each certificate. In addition, any certification including a Plant Health Certificate or Plant Health Assurance Certificate that is issued by interstate authorities will be charged.

Apply online for a Plant Health Import Certificate.

Under this option, a direct inspection by PIRSA is also required on arrival at the destination laboratory in SA. Consignments cannot be released until inspected by PIRSA.

CA12 accredited laboratory

Using an accredited laboratory often means there is less documentation required, which can result in lower costs for both:

  • interstate-based inspection services
  • PIRSA certification and inspection services.

No direct inspection is required, as a CA12 laboratory can do this under their PIRSA accreditation.

Please contact us for information on:

  • which SA laboratories are accredited to receive grapevine, soil and plant diagnostic material
  • becoming accredited under the CA12 Operational Procedure if you own a laboratory in SA.

Transporters manifest requirements

Transporters carrying plants and plant products into South Australia must provide a manifest for every consignment, prior to the product entering SA.

This includes the date, time of arrival, and other required information. Penalties apply for not providing a manifest with the required details.

Complete the manifest template below and send it to Biosecurity – Plant Health:

Related information

Contact

Plant Health – Market Access and Interstate Certification Assurance

(08) 8207 7814 pirsa.planthealthmarketaccess@sa.gov.au
Page last reviewed: 18 Mar 2024

 


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