fresh cut flowers

Fresh Cut Flowers

Rob Schwartz & Rob McGahy

Import Requirements

30 July 2013

Biosecurity

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Fresh Cut Flowers – Import RequirementsRob Schwartz and Rob McGahy 230 July 2032

INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK

WTO SPS Agreement

WTO SPS AgreementWorld Trade Organisation Agreement on theApplication of Sanitary & Phytosanitary Measures

WTO SPS agreement applies to all SPS measures which may, directly or indirectly affect international trade

Appropriate level of protection:

• ...‘level of protection deemed appropriate by the WTO Member establishing a sanitary or phytosanitary measure to protect human, animal or plant life or health within its territory’

• Members have the right to determine their own ALOP

• ...‘taking into account the objective of minimising negative trade effects’ (i.e. applying the least trade restrictive SPS measures to achieve ALOP)

• Provisions of the SPS Agreement include…



Assessment of riskApplication of SPS measures must bebased on an appropriate riskassessment that:

• is appropriate to the circumstances

• is based on scientific principles

• considers appropriate biological, scientific and economic (including environmental) evidence

• takes into account, international standards/guidelines, whenever possible



HarmonisationWTO SPS Agreement is underpinned by 3standard setting bodies – the three sisters



• IPPC (1952)

• 36 adopted International Standards for PhytosanitaryMeasures (ISPMs)

• OIE (1924)

• terrestrial animal code & manual

• aquatic animal code & manual

• Codex (1963)

• food standards, guidelines and codes of practice

• SPS measures shall be based on these standard setting bodies unless:

• scientific justification exists, or as a consequence of the ALOP set by a country

Equivalence of SPS measures and adaption to regional conditions



• Members are obliged to consider that different SPS measures may be equally effective in achieving their ALOP:

• as alternatives

• or combinations (systems)

• Members are obliged to take into account regional condition including pest/disease prevalence and official SPS controls

• e.g. pest-/disease-free areas or areas of low pest or disease prevalence

Consistency in application ofALOP



ALOP must be applied consistently.

• Arbitrary application of ALOP in different situations must not occur

• e.g. cannot restrict import of a commodity but allow another with identical pest risks

• Discrimination or disguised restrictions on trade must not occur

• e.g. cannot apply stricter SPS measures against a given pest than those applied against that pest domestically



Flowers

What drives Flower Imports?

Cut flower imports



Cut flowers and foliage imports have a long history of trade. Flowers have been imported into Australia for decades

• Over 90 different types of fresh cut flowers and foliage currently allowed to be imported

• Many can come from all countries, others are country specific

• Seasonal imports vary but have trended upwards over the last 5 years. Roses are a good example:

2008 2009 2010 2011 20120

10,000,00020,000,00030,000,00040,000,00050,000,00060,000,00070,000,00080,000,000

Cut flower imports



Imports are driven by the same demands as local flower production

• Special occasions

- Mothers Day

- Valentines Day

• Shows and Cultural Festivals

• Personal / Sentimental

• Some flower species areimported counter-seasonallyto Australia

MalaysiaSouth AfricaColombiaNew ZealandEthiopiaNetherlands

2012 chrysanthemum imports

Import Requirements



All consignments must meet Australia’s import requirements

• Free of live pests & diseases

• Description of all species ineach consignment

• Readily propagatable speciesmust be devitalised

• Certification

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) role



Industry is primarily responsible for meeting requirements. However, DAFF has a key role in verifying that imported cut flowers meet Australia’s import requirements

• Free of live pests & diseases

• Assessing biosecurity risk for species and countries

• Publishing import requirements so that everyone who needs to know the requirements has access to them (eg ICON)

• Physical verification (inspection) at the border

• Ensuring that specific requirements have been met (eg treatments)

• Dealing with consignments that fail Australia’s requirements




Inspection

• Inspection is not a biosecurity “measure”.It is an effective means of verifying that flowers meet Australia’s pest freedom requirement




Treatments

• Because of the potential insect/arthropod risk, cut flowers currently require fumigation

• Australia’s preference is for pest issues to be managed off-shore.

• Incentives are provided to importers and suppliers to import consistently “clean” consignments

• Exemptions to mandatory fumigation for demonstrated “clean” pathways




Devitalisation

• Because of the potential insect/arthropod risk, cut flowers currently require fumigation

• Some flower species have the potential to be propagated from stem cuttings

• It is a requirement that all readily propagatable flowers must be either physically or chemically devitalised

• Devitalisation can:

• occur pre-shipment in specific countries, or

• Can be performed on-arrival

• Imported consignments are subject to random testing to confirm that the treatment is effective




Failed inspections

• EVERY consignment is subject to inspection by DAFF

• ALL consignments which fail inspection require remedial treatment, or can be exported or destroyed

• DAFF reports all treatment failures to the supplying country authority, with the stated expectation that corrective action is applied



Pest risk analysis for Lilium spp. cut flowers from Taiwan

Lilium spp. cut flowers from Taiwan



Taiwan requested market access in December 2009.

• The request was rated aspriority A for Taiwan by theImport Market Access AdvisoryGroup (IMAAG).

• Lilium cut flower imports from allother countries were rated aspriority B by IMAAG.

Draft policy review: Alternative risk management measures to importLilium spp. cut flowers from Taiwan



Taiwan requested market access in December 2009.

• The assessment took into account the pests and pathogens present in Taiwan on the cut flower pathway.

• The quarantine pests identified as requiring measures to manage the risks include some species of beetles, thrips, leafminers and moths, as well as several viruses.

• The proposed management measures are designed to reduce risk to a very low level in order to achieve Australia’s appropriate level of protection.

• Representatives from DAFF visited Taiwan to view the production processes.

Proposed risk management measures and operational procedures



• Flowers must be free of bulbils.

• Either a systems approach to control insect pests administered by Taiwan’s NPPO, or methyl bromide fumigation.

• Pre-export phytosanitary inspection of lily cut flowers, as well as certification by the NPPO that the consignment is free of quarantine pests.

• On-arrival inspection to verify that quarantine pests or any other regulated articles are identified if present, and subjected to remedial action.

• Clearance by DAFF.

Consultation process for the Draft Policy Review



• In March 2012 DAFF advised industry through the Post Entry Plant Industry Consultative Committee (PEPICC) of the policy review.

• The draft policy was released in November 2012 and the comment period was extended from 30 days to 60 days at the request of Australian flower industry.

• Nine comments were received within the comment period and three late submissions were also accepted.

• Comments were received from state and territory governments, industry and growers, as well as Taiwan.

• A teleconference was held with the flower industry to discuss the draft results of the review in May 2013.

Finalisation of the Policy Review



• The proposed measures are consistent with DAFF’s existing policy for imported cut flowers and for other commodities.

• Australia has a long history of safe trade in cut flowers from a number of countries.

• DAFF is currently preparing the Final Policy Review for Lilium cut flowers from Taiwan for release.

• Work plans and final import conditions are yet to be finalised.



QUESTIONS?

fresh cut flowers

Documents

different sps measures

stricter sps measures

trade restrictive sps

harmonisationwto sps

official sps controlse

rob mcgahy230

given pest

codes of practicesps