Draft pest risk analysis report for ‘

6 Pest risk management

61. Pest risk management measures and phytosanitary procedures

The pathway risk assessments identified three pathways that had an unrestricted risk above Australia’s ALOP. The specific pest risk management measures and operational system proposed for ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ for these pathways are summarised in Table 6.1. The fruit pathway was assessed as being below Australia’s ALOP, so no measures are justified.

Table 6.1: Phytosanitary measures proposed for ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’

Pest	Pathway	Measures
‘Ca. L. psyllaurous'	Potato tubers	Area freedom*; or Processing in quarantine approved premises
	Nursery stock	Area freedom*; or Post-entry quarantine and testing
	Tomato-potato psyllid	Area freedom* from psyllid; or Systems approach for fruit with pre- and post-harvest measures; or Fruit treatment known to be effective against all life stages of the psyllid (e.g. methyl bromide fumigation); and Methyl bromide fumigation of nursery stock
*: Area freedom may include pest free areas, pest free places of production or pest free production sites

The entry of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ via the tomato-potato psyllid is considered in this context as a secondary pathway. The psyllid could be associated with fruit or nursery stock, but would not itself be intentionally imported into Australia. Therefore, in the description of risk management measures below, measures to prevent the entry of the tomato-potato psyllid are described for both the fruit and nursery stock pathways.

Biosecurity Australia considers that the risk management measures proposed in this pest risk analysis will achieve Australia’s ALOP.

The procedures described in the following section are proposed as the basis for the import conditions for hosts of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ and the tomato-potato psyllid (B. cockerelli) from all sources into Australia. While the following measures are proposed by Biosecurity Australia, any other measure that provides an equivalent level of protection would be considered.

Draft PRA report for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous’ Pest risk management

Note that these measures are for ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ and B. cockerelli and are in addition to the existing import conditions for the commodities described in this PRA.

6.1.1 Potato tubers

Area freedom is a measure that might be applied to manage the risk posed by ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’. The requirements for establishing pest free areas or pest free places of production are set out in ISPM No. 4: Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas (FAO 1996) and ISPM No. 10: Requirements for the establishment of pest free places of production and pest free production sites (FAO 1999).

If area freedom from ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ could be demonstrated for areas or countries, the probability of entry would be reduced from ‘high’ to at least ‘extremely low’. The unrestricted risk would then be reduced to at least ‘very low’, which would achieve Australia’s ALOP.

Any proposal for area freedom status will need to be assessed by Biosecurity Australia.

Potato tubers could be imported to Australia specifically for processing into saleable commodities. Examples of end products include potato chips, potato gems and mashed potato products. If imported potato tubers are transported, processed, and any waste material disposed of under appropriate quarantine conditions, the probability that ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ would be distributed to host plants in Australia would be reduced from ‘high’ to at least ‘extremely low’. The unrestricted risk would then be reduced to at least ‘very low’, which would achieve Australia’s ALOP.

Proposals for potato tubers to be imported into Australia for processing in quarantine approved premises would need to be assessed by Biosecurity Australia.

6.1.2 Nursery stock

Area freedom is proposed as a measure that might be applied to manage the risk posed by ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ in nursery stock imported into Australia. The requirements for establishing pest free areas or pest free places of production are set out in ISPM No. 4:

If area freedom from ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ could be demonstrated for areas or countries, the probability of entry in nursery stock would be reduced from ‘high’ to at least ‘extremely low’. The unrestricted risk would then be reduced to at least ‘very low’, which would achieve Australia’s ALOP.

Any proposal for area freedom status will need to be assessed by Biosecurity Australia.

Post-entry quarantine and testing

Post-entry quarantine is proposed as a measure that might be applied to manage the risk posed by ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ in nursery stock imported into Australia.

All commercial food crops, which include cape gooseberry, eggplant, pepino, potato, tamarillo and tomatillo, are classed as high risk nursery stock for Australia. All high risk nursery stock imported into Australia is subject to a period of post-entry quarantine on arrival in Australia. During this post-entry quarantine period, plants are required to produce new growth and may require testing for specific pathogens. Tissue cultures of high risk nursery stock also require growth in post-entry quarantine and any specific testing required for the species.

Biosecurity Australia proposes that nursery stock of all species of the Solanaceae be treated as high risk nursery stock until more is known about the host range of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’.

A minimum three month period of growth in post-entry quarantine is proposed for nursery stock of all species of the Solanaceae, except for potato (Solanum tuberosum). During this quarantine period, it is proposed that plants be grown at 25 ± 1 C, as this temperature range has been shown to allow the development of the bacterium (Hansen et al. 2008). In addition to the observation of new growth for symptoms of ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ infection (see Section 4.2.1), Biosecurity Australia proposes that all plants should be actively tested using available PCR primers specific to ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ at the end of the quarantine period or when symptoms develop. Potato has a specific indexing protocol in post-entry quarantine and Biosecurity Australia proposes that an additional PCR test for ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ be added to this protocol.

If nursery stock of solanaceous species was grown in post-entry quarantine, observed for symptoms of psyllid yellows and tested for infection using PCR primers specific to ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’, the probability of entry in nursery stock would be reduced from ‘high’ to at least ‘extremely low’. The unrestricted risk would then be reduced to at least ‘very low’, which would achieve Australia’s ALOP.

Draft PRA report for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous’ Pest risk management

6.1.3 Infected tomato-potato psyllids

Area freedom is a measure that might be applied to manage the risk posed by ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ associated with tomato-potato psyllids. The requirements for establishing pest free areas or pest free places of production are set out in ISPM No. 4:

If area freedom from the tomato-potato psyllid could be demonstrated for areas or countries, the probability of entry would be reduced from ‘moderate’ to at least ‘extremely low’. The unrestricted risk would then be reduced to at least ‘very low’, which would achieve Australia’s ALOP.

Any proposal for area freedom status will need to be assessed by Biosecurity Australia.

Systems approach for fruit including pre- and post-harvest measures

A systems approach combining crop monitoring and psyllid control with post-harvest measures could be used to reduce the risk of infected tomato-potato psyllids being imported to Australia with consignments of fruit of Solanaceae crops.

Currently, imports of fruit of Solanaceae crops are mainly from New Zealand and include capsicum, tomato and tamarillo. Therefore, the consideration of a systems approach is made with specific reference to information on the measures being taken in New Zealand to control the psyllid. However, Biosecurity Australia would consider any system that provides an equivalent level of control of the tomato-potato psyllid.

As stated in the pathway risk assessments, an industry code of practice has been developed for the greenhouse capsicum and tomato industries in New Zealand. In the code of practice, crop monitoring regimes and action thresholds are recommended to control the psyllid in greenhouses (NZCOP 2008). See Appendix B for a copy of the code of practice. Compliance with the code of practice will ensure low psyllid populations in greenhouses.

In the code of practice, post-harvest processing of greenhouse grown capsicum and tomato fruit is undertaken and the standard measures include washing or brushing of the fruit. Brushing of fruit is used specifically to remove dirt, debris and other extraneous material (often referred to as trash) and to ensure that the fruit is of a high quality and in a saleable condition. Biosecurity Australia considers that brushing of fruit would be effective in removing all life stages of the psyllid on the surface of fruit, providing the brushing can reach all parts of the fruit.

Draft PRA report for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous’ Pest risk management

Biosecurity Australia considers that brushing of fruit would be suitable for loose tomato and tamarillo fruit. These brushing processes are considered to be unsuitable for some commodities, such as truss tomatoes and capsicum fruit, where spaces between the fruit and the calyx around the stem end provide a cryptic habitat where psyllids may reside.

Biosecurity Australia considers that the use of a systems approach for the production of loose tomatoes, based on compliance with the New Zealand code of practice for greenhouse tomato and capsicum crops and commercial brushing practices, would reduce the probability of entry of infected tomato- potato psyllids from ‘moderate’ to at least ‘extremely low’. The unrestricted risk would then be reduced to at least ‘very low’, which would achieve Australia’s ALOP.

Systems similar to the New Zealand code of practice for the tomato-potato psyllid in greenhouse tomato and capsicum crops may also reduce the probability of entry on other commodities such as tamarillo. Biosecurity Australia will consider the effectiveness of any system proposed by exporting countries for their commodities.

A treatment that is known to be effective against all life stages of B. cockerelli (e.g. fumigation with methyl bromide) is a measure that might be applied to manage the risk posed by tomato -potato psyllids infected by ‘Ca. L. psyllaurous’ in imports of fruit and nursery stock of members of the Solanaceae. Treatment of fruit and nursery stock would reduce the probability of entry of infected tomato- potato psyllids to at least ‘extremely low’. The unrestricted risk would then be reduced to at least ‘very low’, which would achieve Australia’s ALOP

It is proposed that where methyl bromide fumigation of fruit of solanaceous crops is adopted, it must be completed in accordance with the relevant AQIS standards at one of the following rates:

• 
  48 g/m3 for 2 hours at 10-15°C
  
• 
  40 g/m3 for 2 hours at 16-20°C
  
• 
  32 g/m3 for 2 hours at 21°C +
  

Treatments for fruit, other than methyl bromide fumigation, will be considered by Biosecurity Australia if proposed by the exporting country.

Treatments for fruit will need to be applied offshore to ensure that any live adult psyllids in consignments of fruit do not enter Australia

6.2 Operational systems for the maintenance and verification of phytosanitary status

Draft PRA report for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous’ Pest risk management

ensure that the recommended risk management measures have been met and are maintained.

Biosecurity Australia proposes a system for this purpose that is consistent with ones currently in place for the importation of fresh fruits from other sources. Details of this system, or of an equivalent one, will be determined by agreement with the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of the exporting country.

The NPPO of the exporting country will be recognised as the competent authority.

The objectives of the competent authority are to ensure that:

• 
  proposed service and certification standards are met by all relevant agencies participating in this program
  
• 
  proposed administrative processes are established that provide assurance that the proposed requirements of the program are being met.
  

All fresh fruit of solanaceous species exported to Australia must be sourced from registered greenhouses or fields. Copies of the registration records must be available for audit by AQIS if requested. The NPPO will be required to register each export greenhouse or field prior to commencement of exports from that area.

The hygiene of export greenhouses or fields must be maintained by appropriate pest management options that have been approved by the NPPO, to manage pests and diseases of quarantine concern to Australia. Registered growers must keep records of control measures for auditing purposes. If required, details of the pest control program are to be submitted to Biosecurity Australia/AQIS through the NPPO.

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  fruit is sourced from registered export greenhouses or fields that have used pest and disease control programs
  
• 
  export greenhouses and fields from which fruit is sourced can be identified so investigation and corrective action can be targeted rather than applying to all contributing export greenhouses or fields in the event that live quarantine pests are intercepted during phytosanitary inspections.
  

All packing houses intending to export fruit to Australia will be required to be registered with the NPPO.

Packinghouses will be required to be able to identify the source of fruit processed in the facility using the registration number of the export greenhouses or fields so cartons and pallets (that is, one source per pallet) can be labelled with this number

Draft PRA report for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous’ Pest risk management

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  fruit is only sourced from NPPO registered packing houses where fruit is cleaned to export standard to ensure it is not contaminated by quarantine pests or regulated articles³
  
• 
  registration numbers of export greenhouses or fields can be used for trace-back and auditing purposes.
  

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  secure packaging is used to ensure that fruit of solanaceous species is not re-contaminated after washing, grading and packing
  
• 
  unprocessed packing material (which may vector pests not identified as being on the pathway) is not imported with the fruit
  
• 
  all wood material used in packaging the commodity complies with AQIS conditions (see AQIS publication ‘Cargo Containers: Quarantine aspects and procedures’ at http://www.daffa.gov.au/aqis/import/cargo/aspects-procedures)
  
• 
  all cartons or pallets (one source per pallet) must be labelled with the registration numbers of the export greenhouses or fields. The palletised product is to be identified by attaching a uniquely numbered pallet card to each pallet or part pallet to enable trace-back to registered greenhouses or fields.
  

Arrangements for secure storage and movement of produce are to be developed by the NPPO in consultation with AQIS.

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  product for export to Australia is maintained in secure conditions that will prevent mixing with fruit for domestic consumption or export to other destinations
  
• 
  the quarantine integrity of the commodity is maintained during storage and movement.
  

The NPPO will inspect all consignments in accordance with official procedures for all visually detectable quarantine pests and regulated articles. Sample rates must achieve a confidence level of 95% that not more than 0.5% of the units in the consignment are infested/infected. This equates to a level of zero units infested/infected by quarantine

3

Draft PRA report for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous’ Pest risk management

pests in a random sample size of 600 units from the homogenous inspection lot⁴ in the consignment⁵, where one unit is one fruit.

Detection of live quarantine pests or regulated articles will result in failure of the consignment. If a consignment fails inspection by the NPPO, the exporter will be given the option of treatment and re-inspection of the consignment or removal of the consignment from the export pathway.

Records of the interceptions made during these inspections (live or dead quarantine pests, and regulated articles) are to be maintained by the NPPO and made available to Biosecurity Australia or AQIS as requested. The detection of live or dead quarantine pests for which area freedom is claimed will result in the suspension of area freedom arrangements, pending review. This information will assist in future reviews of this import pathway and consideration of the appropriateness of the phytosanitary measures that have been applied.

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  all consignments are inspected by the NPPO
  
• 
  only consignments where no quarantine pests or other regulated articles are found during inspection are exported to Australia.
  

The NPPO will issue a phytosanitary certificate for each consignment after completion of the pre-export phytosanitary inspection. Each phytosanitary certificate is to contain the following additional declaration:

consistent with International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 7 Export Certification System (FAO 1997).

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  formal documentation is provided to AQIS verifying that the relevant measures have been undertaken offshore.
  

Consignments will be inspected by AQIS using the standard AQIS inspection protocol. The detection of live quarantine pests, dead quarantine pests for which area freedom is claimed, or other regulated articles will result in the failure of the inspection lot⁶. No land bridging of goods will be permitted unless goods have cleared quarantine.

4 - An inspection lot is the number of boxes presented for a single phytosanitary inspection.

5 - A consignment is the number of boxes of fresh fruits in a shipment to Australia covered by one phytosanitary certificate.

6 - An inspection lot is the number of boxes presented for a single phytosanitary inspection.

Draft PRA report for ‘Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous’ Pest risk management

In consultation with the NPPO, AQIS may complete the inspection as a pre-clearance inspection in the exporting country. For pre-clearance inspections, AQIS will confirm that a Notice of Intent (NOI) to export is completed and related to the product presented for inspection, undertake inspection of the inspection lot, and authorise the NOI. For pre-cleared consignments, AQIS will undertake a documentation compliance examination for consignment verification purposes at the port of entry in Australia prior to the release from quarantine.

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  all lots are inspected by AQIS for quarantine pests and other regulated articles
  
• 
  the detection of live quarantine pests, dead quarantine pests for which area freedom is claimed, or other regulated articles will result in the rejection of the inspection lot.
  

The objectives of this proposed procedure are to ensure that:

• 
  any quarantine risk is addressed by remedial action, as appropriate
  
• 
  non-compliance with import requirements is addressed, as appropriate.