. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/NZL/288 
14 April 2004 
 (04-1659) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   NEW ZEALAND
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):   Import requirements for Dracaena nursery stock  (plants, cuttings, canes and 
tissue culture) imported into New Zealand fro m any country is suspended until further 
notice. 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:    
5. Title, language  and number of pages of the notified document:  Import Requirements 
for Dracaena (available in English, 2 pages), see Dracaena schedule at: 
http://www.maf.govt.nz/bi osecurity/imports/plants/standards/155-02-06.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The import requirements for Dracaena stipulates the requirements 
for the importation of Dracaena nursery stock into New Zealand. 
This includes the pre-import requirements, documentation, phytosanitary certification 
requirements, additional declarations to the ph ytosanitary certificate, inspection, testing and 
post-entry quarantine requirements. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or  disease, [   ] protec t territory from other 
damage from pests  
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:   Disease symptoms have 
been observed in Dracaena  species imported from Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Costa 
Rica in New Zealand post entry quarantine and a virus in the genus Badnavirus has been 
detected in symptomatic plants.  Further tests are being conducted by the New Zealand 
National Plant Pest Reference Laboratory to iden tify the virus to species level.  Once the 
species is known, MAF will be able to determin e whether the virus is regulated or not.  
MAF has suspended the importation of Dracaena  because, depending on the findings, the 
current import health standard may require urgent amendment.  Plants currently in 
quarantine will be held until further notice.   No import permits will be issued for 
importation of Dracaenas  until the virus situation is clarified. 
9. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [ X ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  G/SPS/N/NZL/288 
Page 2  
 
 10. Relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:   None 
11. Date of entry into force/period  of application (as applicable):   From 31 March 2004 until 
further notice. 
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [   ] National enquiry 
point,  or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  
For further information contact Ms Sally Gri ffin, Coordinator, SPS New Zealand, PO Box 
2526, Wellington, New Zealand.  Tel:  +64 4 474 4140;  Fax:  +64 4 470 2730;  
E-mail:  sps@maf.govt.nz.