Western Australia’s seed import requirements

Commodity

Seed type
(pest/disease risk)

Corn, maize and
sweetcorn *
(Zea mays)

Seed for planting
Boil smut – (Ustilaggo maydis)

Condition 19

1.   To be certified by the Department of Primary Industry in the State or Territory of origin that:

a. the seed is from an area which is free from boil smut; or
b. the seed has been treated with
i.    2-(thiocyano-methyl-thio) benzothiazole (TCMTB) at the rate
      of 32mL/100 kg of seed or
ii.   Vitavax 200FF® at the rate of 500mL/100kg of seed.

Cotton *
(Gossypium spp.)

Seed for sowing
Verticillium wilts – (Verticillium dahliae and V. alboatrum)

Condition 37

1.    Permit issued by DPIRD

2.    To be certified as having been acid delinted to the satisfaction of an inspector.

3.    Cotton Boll for processing – contact QWA seed officer (C100 also applies)

4.    Cotton Seed for Stock Feed – contact QWA seed officer

Lucerne*
(Medicago sativa)

Seed for planting
(excludes seeds for which the end use is sprounting)

Bacterial wilt – (Clavibacter michiganense ssp. insidiosum)

Condition 20

1. To be imported into Western Australia (WA), each consignment of lucerne seed for planting must either be:

a. Grown and packed in a State or Territory that is free from bacterial will of lucerne as evidenced by an Area Freedom Certificate approved by the Chief Plant Biosecurity Officer of Western Australia; or

b. Accompanied by an Interstate Plant Health Certificate issued by the biosecurity authority in exporting State or Territory or a certificate under an interstate certificate assurance arrangement approved by the Chief Plant Biosecurity Officer certifying that the lucerne seed has been tested by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and found free from bacterial wilt of lucerne

Mango *
(Mangifera indica)

Seed
Mango seed weevil – (Sternochaetus mangiferae)

Condition 12

1.   To be certified as

a. grown in a State, Territory or country where mango seed weevil is not known to occur; or
b. complying with an import protocol approved by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia.

Myrtaceae family
For example Eucalyptus, Callistemon, Leptospermum

Seed for planting
Myrtle rust

Condition C78

1.   Each consignment to be accompanied by an Interstate Plant Health Certificate issued by the quarantine authority in the exporting state or territory, or under a quality assurance arrangement approved by the Chief Plant Biosecurity Officer, WA certifying that the following requirement has been met: 

Seed has been treated as follows:

a.  with a seed fungicide that contains 4 g/L cypermethrin and 150g/L triadimenol as its active constituents; OR
b.  with a seed fungicide that contains 12.5 g/L fludioxonil, 37.5g/L metalaxyl-M and 75 g/L azoxystrobin as its only active constituents; OR
c.  by surface sterilisation by immersion in 1% sodium hypochlorite solution (1% available chlorine) for 10 minutes, then rinsed, dried and held in secure conditions that prevent myrtle rust contamination.

Palm*
(Arecaceae - all genera)

Seed
(Fruit flies)

Palm seed with a fleshy pericarp may be subject to fruit fly requirements.

Rice*
(Oryza sp.)

Unmilled
Warehouse beetle – (Trogoderma variabile)

Condition 22

1. To be certified that

a. the rice was produced and packed in an area that is free from the pest warehouse beetle; OR
b. the rice and associated bulk containers including pallets, crates and bins have, within five days prior to dispatch, been fumigated with methyl bromide at the rate of 48g/m3 at 20°C for 24 hours, and any associated railway wagons have been treated within three days prior to loading with either Reldan, Alfacron or Actellic at a rate of 1g active ingredient per square metre.

2.  This condition does not apply to milled rice.

Sorghum*
(Sorghum spp.)

Seed
Sorghum midge – (Contarina sorghicola)
General diseases:
Rust – (Puccinia purpurea)
Smut – (Sporisorium reilianum)

Condition 23 (sorghum midge)

1.   To be certified that the seed has been fumigated with:

a. phosphine in a sealed enclosure at 1.5g/m³:

i.    for seven days at above 25°C; or
ii.   for 10 days at 15°C–25°C; or

b. certified as fumigated with methyl bromide for 2 hours in a sealed enclosure at one of the following rates;

i.   32g/m³ of methyl bromide at 21–31.9°C of seed flesh temperature; or
ii.   40g/m³ of methyl bromide at 16–20.9°C of seed flesh temperature; or
iii.  48g/m³ of methyl bromide at 11–15.9°C of seed flesh temperature; or
iv.  56g/m³ of methyl bromide at 10–10.9°C of seed flesh temperature; or

c. irradiated at minimum dose of KGy 25.0, and accompanied by a pre-shipment certificate of irradiation to this effect.

Note: Seed to contain less than one per cent by weight of chaff consisting of pieces of vegetative parts of plants other than seed or seed fragments.

Condition 23A (general diseases)

1.    Sorghum seed for sowing to be certified by an officer from the exporting State, Territory or country’s quarantine authority as:

a. dipped in 2% available chlorine for five minutes; or
b. dusted with Thiram 80% at the rate of 200g/100kg of seed; or
c. water slurry with Thiram (80%) at the rate of 200g/100kg of seed; or
d. water slurry with Thiram (60%) at the rate of 270mL/100kg of seed.

Soybean*
(Glycine max)

Seed for planting
Black leaf blight – (Arkoola nigra)
Stem rot – (Phytophthora megasperma f.sp. glycines)

Condition 25

1. To be certified as grown in an area where black leaf blight has not been recorded; and

a. treated with 35% metalaxyl at the rate of 300g/100kg of seed or
b. treated with 35% metalaxyl-m at the rate of 150g/100kg of seed.

Sugar cane*
(Saccharum officinarum)

Seed
Ratoon stunting virus; Sugar cane Fiji disease

Condition 15

1.   Sugar cane plants or parts of plants (including seed) are prohibited from entering Western Australia from other parts of Australia without the prior approval of the Director General, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, WA.

Walnuts*
(Juglans spp.)

In the shell
Codling moth – (Cydia pomonella)

Condition 61

1. To be certified as fumigated with methyl bromide for 24 hours at one of the following rates –

a. 10–14.9°C, 40g/m³
b. 15°C and above, 32g/m³

2. Alternative treatment - irradiation: Dmin 400Gy - Dmax 1000Gy. Certification of this treatment is required