G/SPS/N/AUS/455/Add.2  
 
3 June 2021  
(21-4569) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
Addendum  
The following communication, received on 2 June 2021, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Australia . 
 
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Implementation of revised import conditions for tomato seed for sowing  
As notified under G/SPS/N/AUS/455/Add.1, the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, 
Water and the Environment (the department) has finalised the pest risk analysis for Pepino mosaic 
virus and pospiviroids associated with tomato seeds.  
On 23 June 2021, the department will implement the recommendations of the pest risk analysis : 
1. Removal of testing requirement for Tomato planta macho viroid:  
Imported tomato seeds will no longer need to be tested for Tomato planta macho viroid as this 
pathogen is not considered to be associated with the seed pathway.  
2. Reduced regulation for wild tomato species:  
Seeds of the following wild tomato species will no longer need to be tested for Pepino mosaic virus 
(PepMV), Potato spindle tuber viroid  (PSTVd), Columnea latent  viroid  (CLVd), Pepper chat fruit viroid 
(PCFVd), Tomato apical stunt viroid  (TASVd) and Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid (TCDVd) : 
− Solanum chilense ; 
− Solanum chmielewskii ; 
− Solanum parviflorum ; 
− Solanum peruvianum ; 
− Solanum pimpinellifolium . 
The above seed species are not known to be a pathway for the listed pathogens.  
3. Increased sample size requirements for Pepino mosaic virus  testing:  
Testing of Solanum lycopersicum  seed lots for Pepino mosaic virus  (PepMV) will need to be performed 
using a sample of 20,000  seeds. This replaces the current 3,000 seed sample requirement for Pepino 
mosaic virus. Testing for Pepino mosaic virus  must occur using enzyme -linked immunosorbent assay 
(ELISA) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), either prior to export or on -arrival at a  department -
approved laboratory in Australia.  
Transitional arrangement for revised PePMV testing requirement: The increase in sample size for 
PepMV testing will apply to any seed lot tested on or after 23 June 2021. As a transitional 
arrangement, any seed lot tested and found negative for PepMV before 23 June 2021 can continue to 
be imported under previous conditions using a testing sample of 3,000 seeds, subject to complying 
with specified conditions.  
Further information on the upcoming changes in import c onditions are outlined within Australia's 
Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system:  
https://bicon.agriculture .gov.au/BiconWeb4.0/ImportConditions/Questions/EvaluateCase?elementI
D=0000098371&elementVersionID=232 . Once published, the revised import conditions will be made 
available within BICON.  G/SPS/N/AUS/455/Add.2  
 
- 2 - 
 
  This addendum concerns a:  
[ ] Modification of final date for comments  
[X] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation  
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of previously notified draft regulation  
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation  
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force  
[ ] Other:  
Comment period: (If the addendum extends the scope of the previously notified measure 
in terms of products and/or potentially affected Members, a new deadline for receipt of 
comments should be  provided, normally of at least 60 calendar days. Under other 
circumstances, such as extension of originally announced final date for comments, the 
comment period provided in the addendum may vary.)  
[ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the adden dum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification Authority, 
[ ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other 
body:  
The Australian SPS Notification Authority  
GPO Box 858  
Canberra ACT 2601  
Australia  
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au  
Text(s) available from: [X]  National N otification Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point. 
Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:  
The Australian SPS Notification Authority  
GPO Box 858  
Canberra ACT 2601  
Australia  
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au  
 
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