The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) is still drafting measures for the coming Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) season, for goods shipped on or between 1 September 2018 and 30 April 2019.
Sixteen countries in Europe are affected by BMSB but it is not naturally found in Australia – and DAWR is anxious keep out as it could severely impact our agricultural industries. Juveniles and adults feed on, and severely damage, fruit and vegetable crops rendering them unsellable or reducing production yields. Adult Stink Bugs can also be a nuisance, entering vehicles, homes and factories for shelter over winter. They can arrive in Australia on cargo and containers shipped between September and April each year. This coincides with late autumn and winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At present, the measures will only apply to sea cargo. DAWR will consider the risk in air cargo if the risk profile changes.
Draft measures for the coming season include:
- heightened surveillance on all roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and general cargo vessels through additional pre-arrival reporting with a BMSB questionnaire and daily checks conducted by vessel masters
- inspection, treatment or other directions for identified high risk vessels
- mandatory offshore treatment for target high risk goods
- increased onshore intervention for target risk goods
- export or destruction of target high risk goods requiring mandatory offshore treatment and arriving untreated, or treated by an unapproved treatment provider, unless exceptional circumstances are granted.
Target risk countries of origin are USA, Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Georgia and Japan.
DAWR has developed minimum requirements for performing ese quarantine treatments, which are detailed in the department’s Sulfuryl Fluoride Fumigation Methodology, Methyl Bromide Fumigation Methodology, and Heat Treatment Methodology. They will only accept BMSB treatment certificates from treatment providers included on the approved list of offshore treatment providers during the 2018-19 BMSB season.
It should be noted that DAWR has developed a system to prevent the use of fraudulent certificates. Consignments that arrive in Australia with a fraudulent certificate, or with a certificate from a treatment provider that is not approved, will be identified and directed for onshore treatment, export or disposal in an approved manner.
Source: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/before/pests/brown-marmorated-stink-bugs
