Ownership of intellectual property rights

Abbreviations of units

Term or abbreviation	Definition
ºC	Degree Celsius
ha	Hectare
cm	Centimetre
g	Gram
kg	Kilogram
km	Kilometre
m	Metre
mm	Millimetre
s	Second

Summary

The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has prepared this draft report to assess the proposal by the United States of America (USA), to extend market access for table grapes from California to Western Australia.

Australia has permitted entry of table grapes from California into all other Australian states and territories since 2002, provided they meet Australian quarantine requirements.

The draft report considers pests of regional concern to Western Australia.

This draft report proposes that the importation of table grapes from California be permitted into Western Australia, subject to a range of quarantine conditions.

This draft report identifies pests that require biosecurity measures to manage risks to a very low level in order to achieve Australia’s appropriate level of protection (ALOP).

This draft report proposes that the biosecurity measures already used for imports of table grapes from California to all other states and territories of Australia be used to manage pest risks for entry to Western Australia. These measures will reduce the risk associated with the importation of table grapes from California into Western Australia to achieve Australia’s ALOP. The pests identified as requiring biosecurity measures for entry to all other Australian states and territories under the existing policy for Californian table grapes are also quarantine pests for Western Australia.

One additional pest was identified in this draft report that also requires biosecurity measures, the harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis). The draft report proposes to manage the harlequin ladybird through visual inspection and remedial action (if found).

In conducting this review, DAFF has taken the following into consideration:

• 
  previous conditions established and used since 2002, for the importation of table grapes to all other Australian states and territories
  
• 
  other current policies for the importation of table grapes to Australia
  
• 
  any additional information available through the literature since 2002
  
• 
  feedback from consultation relevant to the assessment of the import risks.
  

This draft report contains details of the risk assessments for pests of quarantine concern and any proposed biosecurity measures so that interested parties can provide comments and submissions to DAFF within the consultation time period.

Introduction

1.1Australia’s biosecurity policy framework

Australia's biosecurity policies aim to protect Australia against the risks that may arise from exotic pests¹ entering, establishing and spreading in Australia, thereby threatening Australia's unique flora and fauna, as well as those agricultural industries that are relatively free from serious pests.

The risk analysis 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 risk analyses are undertaken by DAFF using technical and scientific experts in relevant fields, and involve consultation with stakeholders at various stages during the process.

DAFF’s assessment of risk may take the form of an IRA (import risk analysis), a non-regulated analysis of existing policy or technical advice.

Further information about Australia’s biosecurity framework is provided in Appendix C of this analysis and in the Import Risk Analysis Handbook 2011 located on the DAFF website www.daff.gov.au.

1.2This non-regulated analysis of existing policy

1.2.1Background

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) formally requested to extend market access for fresh table grapes from California to include Western Australia in May 2005.

On 29 March 2012, DAFF formally announced the commencement of this import risk analysis, advising that it would be progressed as a non-regulated analysis of existing policy.

1.2.2Scope

This review presents an assessment of biosecurity risks associated with commercially produced table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) from the Californian counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Riverside and Tulare, free from trash, for human consumption in Western Australia.

In this review, table grapes are defined as table grape bunches or clusters, which include the peduncles, rachises, laterals, pedicels and berries (Pratt 1988) but not other plant parts (see figure 3).

In the pest risk assessment chapter of this draft report (Chapter ), the pest risk analysis (PRA) area is defined as the state of Western Australia. The likelihoods of entry, establishment and spread and the consequence that pests may cause have been assessed for Western Australia.

This review covers all commercially produced table grapes from the six approved counties in the state of California that are currently permitted entry to the rest of Australia.

1.2.3Existing policy

International policy

Import policy exists for table grapes imported into all other Australian states and territories from: California (AQIS 1999; AQIS 2000a; AQIS 2000b; Biosecurity Australia 2002; Biosecurity Australia 2003; Biosecurity Australia 2006); Chile (Biosecurity Australia 2005); New Zealand (AQIS 2012); the People’s Republic of China (Biosecurity Australia 2011a); and Korea (Biosecurity Australia 2011b).

The import requirements for these commodity pathways can be found at DAFF’s import conditions database: http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon.

Current import conditions for Californian table grapes require a combination of risk management measures and operational systems that reduce the risk associated with the importation of table grapes from California into all other Australian states and territories to achieve Australia’s ALOP, specifically:

• 
  permitted entry into Australia only from six approved counties in California: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Riverside and Tulare
  
• 
  fumigation of all packed table grapes with a mixture of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) for grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) and regulated non-plant pests that are of concern to human health in Australia: the black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans); and two species of yellow sac spider (Cheiracanthium inclusum and C. mildei)
  
• 
  fumigation of all packed table grapes with a a mixture of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) followed by 6 days cold treatment with a pulp temperature of -0.50°C ± 0.50°C or below for spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)
  
• 
  pre-export phytosanitary inspection and certification by the USDA-APHIS, offshore preshipment inspection (OPI) or on arrival inspection, remedial action if required, and clearance by DAFF
  
• 
  suspension of all exports upon a detection of a live glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) during DAFF inspection until the problem is investigated. If a dead GWSS is found during inspection, an investigation will be conducted to evaluate the relationship of GWSS to the table grape pathway
  
• 
  a supporting operational system to maintain and verify the phytosanitary status of consignments. DAFF will verify that the required biosecurity measures have been applied.
  

Domestic arrangements

The Commonwealth Government is responsible for regulating the movement of plants and plant products into and out of Australia. However, the state and territory governments are responsible for plant health controls within Australia. Legislation relating to resource management or plant health may be used by state or territory government agencies to control interstate movement of plants or their products.

Currently, the importation of grape fruit, seeds and plants into Western Australia from any source is prohibited due to the absence of grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae), grapevine fanleaf virus and phomopsis cane and leaf spot (Phomopsis viticola) in that state (DAFWA 2013). Machinery previously used in the growing or processing of grapes is also prohibited unless it satisfies quarantine requirements that include heat treatment and washing.

On 15 September 2011, the Western Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) announced the formal commencement of a pest risk analysis considering the importation of fresh table grapes into Western Australia. That process is still underway.

1.2.4Contaminating pests

In addition to the pests of fresh table grapes from California that are assessed in this non-regulated analysis, there are other organisms that may arrive with the imported commodity. These organisms could include pests of other crops or predators and parasitoids of other arthropods. DAFF considers these organisms to be contaminating pests that could pose sanitary and phytosanitary risks. These risks are addressed by existing procedures including fumigation; a 600 unit inspection of all consignments; and investigation of any pest that may be of quarantine concern to Australia.

The risk of contaminating weed seeds is also addressed by the procedures detailed in Chapter 1.26.

1.2.5Consultation

On 29 March 2012, DAFF notified stakeholders in Biosecurity Advice 2012/06 of the formal commencement of a non-regulated analysis of existing policy to consider a proposal from APHIS to extend the importation of fresh table grapes from approved Californian counties into Western Australia.

DAFF has consulted with DAFWA during the preparation of this draft analysis.

1.2.6Next Steps

This draft analysis gives stakeholders the opportunity to comment and draw attention to any scientific, technical, or other gaps in the data, misinterpretations and errors.

DAFF will consider submissions received on the draft analysis and may consult informally with stakeholders. DAFF will revise the draft analysis as appropriate. DAFF will then prepare a final document, taking into account stakeholder comments.

The final document will be published on the DAFF website along with notice advising stakeholders of the release. DAFF will also notify the proposer, the registered stakeholders and the WTO Secretariat about the release of the final document. The conditions proposed in the final document will be the basis of any import permits issued.