Draft pest risk analysis report for ‘

1 Introduction

1.1 Australia’s biosecurity policy framework

The import risk analysis (IRA) process is an important part of Australia's biosecurity policies. It enables the Australian Government to formally consider the risks that could be associated with proposals to import new products into Australia. If the risks are found to exceed Australia’s appropriate level of protection (ALOP), risk management measures are proposed to reduce the risks to an acceptable level. But if it is not possible to reduce the risks to an acceptable level, then no trade will be allowed.

Successive Australian Governments have maintained a conservative, but not a zero-risk, approach to the management of biosecurity risks. This approach is expressed in terms of Australia's ALOP, which reflects community expectations through government policy and is currently described as providing a high level of protection aimed at reducing risk to a very low level, but not to zero.

Australia’s IRAs are undertaken by Biosecurity Australia using teams of technical and scientific experts in relevant fields, and involves consultation with stakeholders at various stages during the process. Biosecurity Australia provides recommendations for animal and plant quarantine policy to Australia’s Director of Animal and Plant Quarantine (the Secretary of the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry). The Director or delegate is responsible for determining whether or not an importation can be permitted under the Quarantine Act 1908, and if so, under what conditions. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is responsible for implementing appropriate risk management measures.

More information about Australia’s biosecurity framework is provided in Appendix C of this report and in the Import Risk Analysis Handbook 2007 located on the Biosecurity Australia website www.biosecurityaustralia.gov.au.

1.2 This pest risk analysis

1.2.1 Background

The presence of this new, undescribed ‘Ca. Liberibacter sp.’ and the potential for its introduction into Australia via imports of host commodities resulted in Australia

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introducing emergency quarantine measures on 6 June 2008 for tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), capsicum (Capsicum annum), eggplant (Solanum melongena), tamarillo (Solanum betaceum) and other related fruits and nursery stock from New Zealand. The bacterium has subsequently been identified in potatoes in New Zealand (Liefting et al. 2008a) and the United States of America (USA) (Munyaneza et al. 2007; Cranshaw 1993), and in tamarillo and cape gooseberry in New Zealand (Liefting et al. 2008b).

Consistent with Australia’s international obligations, Biosecurity Australia commenced a pest risk analysis (PRA) for the bacterium to assess the risks posed by the importation of host commodities including tomato, capsicum, eggplant and tamarillo, and its vector the tomato-potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc).

Following the detection of the new ‘Ca. Liberibacter sp.’, the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (NZMAF) began a research program to characterise the pathogen and provide additional information that would enable an assessment of the phytosanitary risk posed by various pathways. This pest risk analysis reviews the research undertaken by NZMAF and other information available on this pathogen and its vector.

Hansen et al. (2008) designated ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ as the name of the bacterium affecting solanaceous crops, while Liefting et al. (2009) have proposed the name ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ for this bacterium. Biosecurity Australia will use the name ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ in this report, as it is the earlier name.

Tomato- potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli is known to vector ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous' (Hansen et al. 2008). Although B. cockerelli is mostly found on members of the Solanaceae, it has been reported on plants in the Amaranthaceace, Asclepiadaceae,

As a result of work undertaken by New Zealand to better understand the disease and its vector and a series of site visits conducted by Biosecurity Australia representatives, Biosecurity Australia has revised the emergency measures to allow trade to recommence, while the PRA is being finalised. The revised emergency measures commenced on 10 December 2008 and allowed imports of tomato and capsicum, subject to demonstrated control of the psyllid population in production sites (greenhouses) and mandatory methyl bromide fumigation.

1.2.2 Scope

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  fruits of solanaceous crops permitted entry into Australia (cape gooseberry, capsicum, chilli, eggplant, melon pear, tomato, tamarillo and tomatillo)
  
• 
  potato tubers for human consumption
  
• 
  nursery stock and
  
• 
  tomato-potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli).
  

The risk for these pathways was assessed using information on the biology, epidemiology and impact of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’. The possible transmission of the bacterium in seed in fruit was considered as part of the fruit pathway assessment.

Phytosanitary conditions exist for the import of fruit and nursery stock of solanaceous species into Australia. These conditions include:

• 
  pre-clearance or on-arrival inspection by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) of fruit of from specified countries and
  
• 
  methyl bromide fumigation and growth in post-entry quarantine for nursery stock from any country.
  

This PRA proposes measures that could be used to reduce the risk of the importation of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ to meet Australia’s ALOP. These measures will form the basis for any recommended amendments to the import policy for commodities that are, or were, permitted access to Australia and are known or potential hosts of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’.

The PRA considers fresh fruit that is free of trash commercially produced in greenhouses or the field. The PRA does not consider the impact of B. cockerelli in the absence of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’, as it is already an actionable pest for Australia due to the direct damage its feeding causes on host plants.

1.2.3 Existing policy

Table 1.1: Import conditions for Solanaceous crops