G/SPS/N/AUS/376  
 
9 November 2015  
(15-5910)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
1. Notifying Member:  AUSTRALIA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water 
Resources 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Nursery stock, tissue culture, cuttings, budwood, rooted 
plants, corms and bulbs of 89 fam ilies of plants known to host Xylella  spp. 
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: Emergency measures for nursery stock and tissue 
culture against Xylella fastidiosa  and related Xylella  species  Language(s): English   
Number of pages: 2 
6. Description of content: Notification that Australia proposes to implement emergency 
measures for the import of nursery stock,  tissue cultures, cuttings, budwood, rooted 
plants, corms and bulbs into Australia to reduce the quarantine risks presented by 
Xylella fastidiosa  and related Xylella  species ( Xylella ). Measures are outlined in the 
following link to the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON): 
https://bicon.agriculture.gov.au/BiconWeb4.0/ViewElement/Element/Alert?elementPk=2
30789 . 
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.   
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s)  and reason for urgent action: Xylella  is a 
bacterium that is very damaging to plants. It has not been detected in Australia but it is 
spreading around the world. Recent outbreaks in France and Italy have been devastating 
to local farmers. Xylella  poses a significant threat because many plant species are 
susceptible and every year tests show more plant species are infected. It is carried by 
infected nursery stock and transmitted by leafhoppers, sharpshooters and spittlebugs, 
facilitating invasion of new countries and regions.  
Xylella  affects a range of important plants: citrus, wine and table grapes, olives, forestry 
and amenity trees, almonds, cherries, peache s, plums, avocados, blueberries, coffee, 
pecans and alfalfa. Xylella  causes great losses in grapevines as Pierce's disease, in citrus 
as citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) and in olives as quick decline, leaf scorch and dieback. It also affects many ornamental species, common street and landscape trees 
and trees in productive forests. 
Australia introduced measures to specifical ly manage the risks of introduction of 
X. fastidiosa  in high risk nursery stock in 2009. In  light of the expanded host range and G/SPS/N/AUS/376 
 
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  global spread, these measures are being strengthened and expanded to other hosts that 
were not previously regulated for this disease. 
The emergency measures require that imports of tissue cultures and nursery stock from 
infected countries are tested and certified free of the disease by the National Plant 
Protection Organisation (NPPO). Countries that are free from the disease are required to attest to country freedom on a phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO. 
Australia will review the emergency measures as the global distribution, host range 
stabilises and the impact of the disease becomes clear. All emergency conditions will be published on the departments Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system. 
9. Is there a relevant international stan dard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial  n u m b e r  o f  C o d e x  
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) IPPC 
Article 7 and ISPM 1 
[ ] 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 langua ge(s) in which these are available:   
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable): 
19 November 2015 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
The Australian SPS contact point  
GP Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia  
Fax: +(61 2) 6272 3678 
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au 
13. Text(s) available from: [ ] National Noti fication Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if availabl e) of other body: