G/SPS/N/NZL/591  
 
28 March 2019  
(19-1957) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES  
1. Notifying Member:  NEW ZEALAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry for Primary Industries  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable): Seed for sowing  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant  or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: IHS 155.02.05: Seeds for sowing . Language(s): 
English.  Number of pages: 140 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/NZL/19_1643_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/NZL/19_1643_01_e.pdf  
6. Description of content: The standard describes the import specifications and entry 
conditions for seeds for sowing imported into New Zealand.  
Conditions for Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV)  
The measures are as follows:  
An additional declaration for 'pest free area' endorsed on the phytosanitary certificate by 
the NPPO of the exporting country with the following wording:  
'The (insert seed species) seeds were sourced from pest fr ee area, free from Tomato 
brown rugose fruit virus'.  
OR 
An additional declaration for 'pest free place of production' endorsed on the phytosanitary 
certificate by the NPPO of the exporting country with the following wording:  
'The (insert seed species) seed s was sourced from a 'pest free place of production' free 
from for Tomato brown rugose fruit virus '. 
OR 
An additional declaration for testing endorsed on the phytosanitary certificate by the NPPO 
of the exporting country with the following wording:  
'The (i nsert seed species) seed lot was officially tested, on a representative sample of a 
minimum of 3000 seeds officially drawn according to the ISTA or AOSA sampling 
methodology, using an approved ELISA NPPO testing method and found free from Tomato 
brown rugo se fruit virus".  
7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food safety, [  ] animal health, [X]  plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  G/SPS/N/NZL/591  
 
- 2 - 
 
  8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action: There is an 
unmanaged risk of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus  on the Solanum lycopersicum  
(tomato) and Capsicum sp. (pepper) on the seeds for sowing pathway and it needs to be 
managed urgently.  
The amendment is urgent because the risk of introduction and establishment of Tomato 
brown rugose virus  (ToBRFV) via importation of Solanum lycopersicum  (tomato) and 
Capsicum sp.  (pepper) seeds for sowing is immediate.   
There are no specific measures in pl ace for this pathogen on the IHS 155.02.05: Seeds 
for sowing and tomato and capsicum seeds are actively imported into New Zealand from 
countries where the pathogen is known to occur.  
Emergency measures have been implemented under SPS agreement Article 7, a nnexe B, 
parts 2 and 6 for the pathogen while a Pest Risk Analysis is completed.  
The following host species will now require regulation for Tomato brown rugose fruit virus : 
Tomato and Capsicum.  
The proposed measures will apply to all countries and are detailed in the Solanum 
lycopersicum  (page 98) and Capsicum  (page 30) specific requirements of the seeds for 
sowing import health standard  
9. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, iden tify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[X] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) : ISPM N° 4 
and 10  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  
10. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable): 
11 March 2019  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Mrs Sally Jennings, Coordinator, SPS  New Zealand, PO Box 2526, Wellington, New 
Zealand.  Tel: +(64 4) 894 0431; Fax: +(64 4) 894 0733; E -mail: sps@mpi.govt.nz  
Website:  https://www.mpi.govt.nz/importing/overview/acc ess-and-trade-into-new-
zealand/world -trade-organization -notifications/  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:  
Mrs Sally Jennings, Coordinator, SPS  New Zealand, PO Box 2526, Wellington, New 
Zealand.  Tel: +(64 4) 894 0431; Fax: +(64 4) 894 0733; E -mail: sps@mpi.govt.nz  
Website:  https://www.mpi.govt.nz/importing/overview/access -and-trade-into-new-
zealand/world -trade-organization -notifications/