Risk Management Proposal:  
Amendment to the import health standard 
Grain and Seeds for Consumption, Feed, or 
Processing   
GCFP.IHS  
 
 
 
 
Prepared for public consultation  
by Plant Product Imports  
Animal and Plant Health Directorate  
 
 
 
 
 
13 June  2023 
i Disclaimer  
While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is 
accurate, the  Ministry  for Primary Industries does not accept any responsibility or 
liability for error of fact, omission, inte rpretation , or opinion that may be present, nor 
for the consequences of any decisions based on this information.  
© Crown Copyright – Ministry  for Primary Industries  
   
ii Contents  Page 
1 General information  3 
1.1 Purpose  3 
1.2 Background  3 
1.3 Timing and consultation  3 
2 Proposed changes  3 
2.1 How the changes will affect you  3 
2.2 Liposcelis entomophilus  3 
2.3 Dinoderus minutus  4 
2.4 Tomato black ring virus (TBRV)  4 
2.5 Conclusion  5 
3 Feasibility of proposed changes  5 
4 References  6 
Appendix 1: Proposed Zea mays  regulated pest list  7 
Appendix 2: Proposed Phaseolus spp. pest information  8  
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 3 1 General  information  
1.1 Purpose  
 The purpose of this document is to:  
a) Outline  the proposed change s to the standard ,  
b) Explain how the proposed change s will manage risk , and 
c) Ask for feedback on the change s. 
1.2 Background   
 The import health standard  Grain  and Seeds  for Consumption, Feed , or Processing  was 
last issued on 3 May 2023, under section 24A of the Biosecurity Act 1993  and 
incorporat ed amendments made in accordance with section 24B(1)(a) of that Act.  
1.3 Timing and consultation  
 The proposed amendment was released for consultation on 16 June 2023 and will 
remain open for consultation until 31 July 2023 . 
2 Proposed changes  
 We propose remov ing three  pests  from the standard , along with the requirements to 
manage these pests :  
a) Liposcelis entomophil a (Liposcelis entomophil us) from the pest list for Zea mays  
b) Dinoderus minutus  from the pest list  for Zea mays   
c) Tomato black ring virus (TBRV) from the pest list  for Phaseolus  spp. 
 To see what the proposed  changes  will look like in the standard , please refer to  
Appendi ces 1 and 2 . 
2.1 How the changes will affect you  
 If you import Zea mays  or Phaseolus  seeds for consumption, feed or processing, your 
seeds will now have less requirements to comply with.  
 If you are a grower, your plants w ill continue to experience the same level of protection 
they do now.   
2.2 Liposcelis entomophil us 
 Liposcelis entomophilus  is a booklouse that is found  worldwide  in homes and storage , 
including in  New Zealand  (ONZPR ). In 2021, MPI mad e this pest  non-regulated.  As a 
result , there is no reason to keep  it on the pest list for Zea mays .  
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 4  
2.3 Dinoderus minutus  
 Dinoderus minutus  (bamboo borer) is a wood -boring beetle. It primarily attacks felled 
culm s and bamboo  timber.  It is also a minor pest of  rice, cassava , and sugarcane an d has 
been reported  in the wood of imported  Pinus  spp. Zea ma ys is not recorded  as host of 
this beetle . (Matthew and Nair, 1990; Koehler, 2003 ).  
 New Zealand does not have any native or iconic bamboo species.  
 MPI revoked this beetle’s  unwanted organism status on 3 March 2022 after we found an 
infestation in Kerikeri in March 2021. We decided not to eradicate the infestation , and 
the beetle  is no longer under official control.  Dinoderus minutus  has also been collected 
from Auckland and Bay of Plenty ( Manaaki Whenua ). As a result , there is no reason to 
keep  D. minutus  on the pest list  for Zea mays . 
2.4 Tomato black ring virus (TBRV)  
 Tomato black ring virus (TBRV) is a member of the Nepovirus genus (subgroup  B) in 
the family Secoviridae , which can be easily transmitted mechanically, by the nematode 
(Longidorus  spp.) and through seeds (Pospieszny et al. 2020; Bru nt et al, 1996). It was 
first described in  1946 in the UK (Smith, 1946) .  
 TBRV infects a wide range of economically important crops, such as carrots, 
grapevine s (Vitis spp.); Prunus  spp. (cherr ies, apricot s, peach es); berryfruit (raspberr ies, 
currant s, strawberr ies, blueberr ies) and solanaceous species (potato es, tomato es, 
capsicums ). Phaseolus spp. are  not known to be  natural host s of this virus , but 
researchers have managed to artificially infect P. vulgaris  in a laboratory under 
experimental  conditions  (Hollings 1965; Harrison 1957 ). 
 The following reasons justify removing TBRV  from the Phaseolus  spp. pest list : 
a) We do not have  good evidence that Phaseolus  spp. are  natural hosts of this virus . 
Evidence for natural infection is limited to a single paper, which used an unknown 
number of seeds of an unknown source . TBRV infection was confirmed in about 
4% of the  seeds  (Chalam et al. 2005) . There is no information  on how these seeds 
were processed before grown (i.e., surfaced sterilised) . There are no  field report s of 
TBRV infection of Phaseolus  spp., so the evidence that TBRV is naturally 
associated with Phaseolus  seeds is extremely weak . 
b) We do not have good  evidence that TBRV is transmitted in Phaseolus  seeds.  There 
is only one study on seed transmissi on of TBRV in Phaseolus vulgaris  (Chalam et 
al. 2005) . However, due to flaws in the study, we  can’t confidently say that the 
virus is seed -borne or seed -transmitted. The distinction between seed transmission 
and seed -borne infections is important . A seed-transmitted pathogen can gain Question for your submission  
Do you have any evidence that Dinoderus minutus will have impacts we haven’t 
considered?  Question for your submission  
Can you think of any reasons for us to  regulat e Liposcelis entomophilus on maize 
imports?   
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 5 access to the seed, survive commercial process ing (e.g., cleaning, treatment, 
storage) and become established  on emerging seedlings . There is extremely weak  
evidence that TBRV is  seed-transmitted in Phaseolus  spp., capable of surviving 
commercial process ing and capable of transmitting the pathogen  to seedlings grown 
from infected seeds.  
c) Phaseolus  seeds are globally traded  in high quantities.  We expect that if this virus 
could infect seeds naturally and be transmitted, our overs eas counterparts would 
report  incursions of TBRV . There is very limited information globally on an 
association between  TBRV  and Phaseolus . This indicates that Phaseolus  spp. are 
not the primary host of this pest .  
d) TBRV may be asymptomatic (Chalam et al. 2005) or have minor economic impacts 
on Phaseolus  spp. Phaseolus plants appear to recover from infection (Smith , 1946).  
 As a result, there is no reason to keep  regulating  TBRV on Phaseolus  seeds import ed 
for consumption, feed, or processing.  
2.5 Conclusion  
 Under international law, we cannot require measures for a pest unless we have scientific 
evidence that the pest can enter New  Zealand, become established here and have 
negative impacts on the New Zealand economy, environment, human health, or things 
of social or cultural value to New  Zealanders.  
 Continuing to  regulat e L. entomophilus  and D. minutus  on the Zea mays  and TBRV on 
the Phaseolus  spp. seeds imported for consumption, feed, or processing  is not justified.  
3 Feasibility of proposed  changes  
 We expect these changes will make it easier for importers to import Zea mays  and 
Phaseolus  seeds.  
 We do not expect these changes to have any negative impacts on growers.  
Removing L. entomophilus  and D. minutus from the Zea mays  pest list and TBRV from 
Phaseol us spp. schedule is in keeping with our commitment to maintaining up -to-date 
and scientifically justified regulations  and make it less restrictive for importers to 
import Zea mays  and Phaseolus  seeds.  
  Question for your submission  
Do you know about  any evidence that Phaseolus plants  are naturally infecte d by this 
virus?   
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 6 4 References  
Brunt, A  A; Crabtree, K ; Dallwitz, M  J; Gibba, A  J; Watson, L ; (1996 ) Viruses of plants.  
Descriptions and lists from the VIDE database . CAB International ; Wallingford, UK . 1484 
pp. 
Chalam, V; Khetarpal, R; Parakh, D; Maurya, A; Anju, J; Shamsher, S (2005) Interception of 
seed-transmitted viruses in French bean germplasm imported during 2002 –2003. Indian 
Journal of Plant Protection , 33(1): 134 –138. 
Harrison, B  D (1957 ) Studies on the host range, properties and mode of transmission of beet 
ringspot virus.  Annals of Applied Biol ogy, 45(3) : 462–472. 
Hollings, M (1965 ) Some properties of celery yellow vein, a virus serologically related to 
tomato black ring virus. Annals of  Applied Biology , 55459 –470.  
Koehler , P G; Oi, F M  (2003 ) Powderpost Beetles and Other Wood -Infesting Insects . ENY -
266. Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, 
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of  Florida ; Florida, USA .  
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research (2023) Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius, 1775). Biota of 
New Zealand . Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research; Lincoln, NZ. 
https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz/scientific -names/c1504a5f -7c4f-485b -be01 -
8b88506732f2  Accessed 5 June 2023.  
Mathew , G; Nair, K S S (1990 ) Storage pests of bamboos in Kerala. Bamboos. Current 
research. Proceedings of the International Bamboo Workshop, Cochin, India, 14 -18 Nov. 
1988  [edited by Rao, I  V R; Gnanaharan, R; Sastry, C  B] Kerala, India; Kerala Forest 
Research Institute, 212 –214. 
ONZPR  (2023) Pests of concern to New Zealand. Liposcelis entomophila. Official 
New  Zealand Pest Register. Ministry for Primary Industries; Wellington, N Z. 
https://onzpr.mpi.govt.nz/pests -of-
concern/?scientificName=&organismType=&freeSearch=Liposcelis+entomophila  Accessed 6 
June 2023.  
Pospieszny, H ; Borodynko -Filas, N ; Hasiow -Jaroszewska, B ; Czerwonka, B ; Elena, S  F 
(2020 ) An assessment of the transmission rate of the Tomato black ring virus through tomato 
seeds. Plant Protection Science , 56(1) 9 –12. 
Smith, K M (1946 ) Tomato black -ring: a new virus disease. Parasitology , 37(3–4): 126 –130. 
   
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 7 Appendix 1: Proposed  Zea ma ys regulated pest list  
 
 
  
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 8 Appendix  2: Proposed  Phaseolus spp. pest  information   
 
 
 
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 9   
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment 15 to GCFP.IHS  • 10