IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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Import Health Standard  
Commodity sub- class: Fresh fruit/vegetables  
 
 
Lychee  
 (Litchi chinensis ) 
from Thailand  
 
 
Issued pursuant to sections 24A (formerly s 22)  and 166A  of the 
Biosecurity Act 1993  
Date Issued: 7 March 2023   
IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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 Commencement  
 
This import h ealth standard comes i nto force on 7 March 2023. 
  
Revocation 
This import health standard revokes and replaces all prior versions of and amendments to the Import Health Standard  Commodity sub- class: Fresh fruit/vegetables  Lychee (Litchi 
chinensis) from Thailand.  The document history to this import health standard is set out in Appendix 2.   
Issuing Authority  
The Import Health Standard is issued pursuant to section s 24A and 166A of the Biosecurity Act 
1993.  Dated at W ellington this  7
th day of March  2023. 
   Lisa Wint hrop 
Manager,  Plant Health  
Ministry for Prima ry Industries  
 (acting under delegated authority of the Director General ) 
  
Review and amendment  
 New Zealand import health standards a re subject to  perio dic review and amendment.  
New Zealand  impo rt health standards are up dated an d republished as necessary with the most 
recent v ersion published on the M inistry for P rimary Industries (MPI)  web site.  
  
Distribution  
 Import health standards are d istribu ted by MPI. T hey are made available f or public access on the 
MPI website: 
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/legal/compliance- requirements/ihs -import- health -
standards/  
 
 
  
IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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 IMPORT HEALTH STANDARD: FRESH FRUIT/VEG ETABLES  
 
Lychee (Litchi chinens is) from Thailand . 
 
 
Contents  
 
Part A. Background  ................................................................................................................... 4 
Part B. General phytosanitary import requireme nts fo r all fresh f ruit and vegetables for 
consumption .................................................................................................................. 5 
Part C. Additional requirements for lychee from Thailand ....................................................... 5 
Part D. Phyt osanit ary certific ation ............................................................................................ 6 
Part E. Specified regulated pest list for lychee from Thailand  .................................................. 9 
Appendix 1: Verification activities o n arri val in New Z ealand  .............................................. 11 
Appendix 2: Amendment history ............................................................................................ 11 
   
IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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 Part A. Background 
Scope  
This document describes the requirements to be met to enable biosecurit y clear ance to be given 
for fre sh lychee fruit ( Litchi chine nsis) for human consumption imported into N ew Zealand from 
Thailand . The commodity description “ lychee ” for human consumption is defined as 
commercially produced lychee fruit with calyx and pedunc le, but  without st ems, leaves, roots or 
any other plant  parts.  
Definitions  
The definitions of relevant  phytosanitary terms used in t his standard are consistent with the terms 
stated in the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No.5, produced by the  
Internationa l Plant Protection Convention (IPPC ), unless the context otherwise requires or the 
definition is stated below.  
Import health standard means a document issued pursuant to section 2 4A (formerly s ection 22)  
of the Biosecurity Act 1993 on be half o f the Direct or General permitting entry to New  Zealand  of 
a specific product under  certain condit ions.  
MPI Import and Export Standards means the secti on within the Ministry for Primary Industries  
which is responsible for regulatory biosecurity functi ons. 
Maximum allow able prevalen ce means the level of  infesta tion th at is the threshol d, above which 
phytosanitary actions based on inspe ction would be applied.  
Unit means one lychee  fruit.  
Regulated organisms  means those organisms for which phytosanitary a ctions  would be 
undertaken if t hey were intercepted/ detected . 
Outcome  
The agreed pre- shipment phytosani tary measures for specific regul ated pests have been 
undertaken and the lychees are free of all regulated pests.  
Performance measure 
The high risk regula ted or ganisms as i n Part C  requ ire specific risk miti gation measures.  
 
The Maximum A llowable Prevalence for visually detectable regulat ed organisms on fr esh 
fruit/vegetables is as follows: At a 95% confidence level, not more than 0.5% of the units in the 
consignment are in fested (this equates to an acceptance level of ze ro units infested by regulated 
organisms in a sample size of 600 uni ts). 
 
  
IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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 Equivalence  
Under section 22 of the Biosecurity Act 1993, MPI  can amend the relevant IHS by adding an 
approved equivale nt measure; once that measure is proven to maintain at  least the same level of 
protection assured  by the measures in this IHS. Equivalence is determ ined by MPI in accordance 
with ISPM No.24: Guidance for the determination and recognition of equivalence of 
phytosanitary measures (2 005).  
Part B. General phytosanitary  import requirements for all fresh 
fruit and vegetables for consumpt ion 
The import heal th standard 152.02 (IHS152.02: Importation and Clearance of Fresh Fruit and 
Vegetables into New  Zealan d) contains the phytosanitary requirements that must be met for all  
fresh fruit and vegetable commodities that are allowed to be import ed into New Zealand. The 
IHS 152.02 outlines transit requirements, inspections on arrival in New Zealand and actions unde rtaken  upon organis m interceptions. 
 The import health standard 152.02 can be found a t the MPI  website 
(http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/ihs/152-02.pdf
). 
Part C. Additional requirements for  lychee from Thailand  
Phytosanitary measures 
All lyche e fruit  for export to New Ze aland must be s ourced from orchards that produce 
commercial lychee f ruit under standard cultivation, pest-control, harvesting and packing 
activities. During harvest, infested , infected o r damaged fruit must be discarded prior to  
treatm ent.  
MPI requires  a mandatory pre-e xport treatment of lychee fruit  for high risk regul ated organisms, 
including economically significant fruit fly species. MPI currently approves vapour he at 
treatment or co ld disinfestation or irradiation at the fo llowing  specifications  for fruit flies:  
Vapour heat 
treatment  (VHT)  Lychees must be treated wi th vapour heat and the temperature must be raised from ambient 
to 47 °C or greater and held for a min imum o f 20 minutes .  
 
Cold dis infestation Prior to arrival in New Zealand, the core temperature of the  fruit must be held continuously  at 
one of the following temperature/time combinations:  
Fruit pulp temperature held at:  
1 °C or below for 17 days  
1.38 ° C or b elow for 20 days  
 
Irradi ation  Irradiation with a mini mum dos e of 250 Gy. 
 
  
IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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 MPI requires specif ic pre-export phytosanitary measur es for Conogethes punctiferalis . MP I 
currently approves the use of in-field pest control for Lepidoptera species throughout the 
production season or  irradiation at a minimum dose rate of 2 50 Gy.  
MPI requires specific pre -export phytosanitary measures for fruit flies of economic signif icance. 
MPI currently approves vapour  heat treatment ( Appendix 1) ; or cold disinfestation  (Appendix 2); 
or irradiation (Appendix 4); these measu res are to be carried out in accordance with IHS 152.02 
and the official a ssuranc e programme.  
The application of the i rradiation treatment (Appendix 4) must be carried out in accordance with 
the ISPM  No.18 Guidelines fo r the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary measure . MPI a pprove s 
the below irradiat ion doses:  
- Fruit flies with a minimum dose rate of 150 Gy  
- Conogethes punctiferalis  with a minimum dose rate of 250 Gy 
- Other IHS regulated arthropod pests1 with  a minimum d ose rate of 4 00 Gy  
Inspection of the  consignment  
Once the phytos anitary measures hav e been undertaken for high risk regulated organisms, the 
Thailand NPP O is required to sample and visually inspect the consignment according to official 
procedure s for all regulated pests including those liste d in Part  E, to ensure it meets 
New Zeal and’s current import requirements. Wh ere Appendix 4 (irradiation) is the phytosanitary 
measure to be undertaken, inspection will occur pre t reatment . Where a regulated ar thropod pest 
is dete cted on the co mmodity and Appendix 4 (irradiation) is the intended  pre-export 
phytosanitary measure, appropriate irradiation dosages must be applied by Thailand’s NPPO. Alternative approve d corr ective actio ns may be con ducted (e.g. methyl brom ide fumigatio n), or 
the fru it shall not be expo rted to New Zealand.  
Where Appendix 2 (cold disinfestation) is the phytosanitary measure to be undertaken, inspection will occur pre or post application of the phytosanitar y measure; inspection will oc cur af ter 
phytosanit ary meas ure has been undertaken for Appendix 1 (vapour heat treatment).   
A phytosanitary certificate sh ould not be issued if live regulated organism(s) are detected, unless 
the consignment is ef fectively tr eated. If org anisms are found which a re not listed  in the IHS 
Thailand’s NPPO must e stablish their regulatory status by consulting the MPI “ Official 
New  Zealand Pest Register” ( ONZPR ), online at https://onzpr.mpi.govt.nz/
.  
If an organism is not listed in  ONZPR , Thailand’s NPPO must c ontact MP I to establish the 
regulatory status of the organism.  
Part D. Phytosanitary certification  
A completed phytosanitary certi ficate issued by Tha iland’s NPPO m ust ac company all lychee 
consignments exported to New Zealand. The phytosanitary certific ate must be in  English and 
must be an original. Bilingual certificates are acceptable as long as English is one of the languages.  
 
1 These regul ated pests include those listed on this IHS that are not known to vector diseases.   
IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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 Before a phytosanitar y certifi cate i s issu ed, Thailand ’s NPPO must be satisfied that the followin g 
activities have been under taken. 
The lyc hees in this consignment have : 
(i) been inspected in accordance with appropriate official procedures and found to be free 
from r egulated pests , specifi ed by the N ew Zealand  Ministry for P rimary Industries . 
 
AND  
 
(ii) been t reated by irradiation at a m inimum abso rbed dose of 250 Gy for Conogethes 
punctiferalis . 
 
OR 
 been managed using in- field controls for Conogethes punctiferalis . 
AND  
 
(iii) been treated i n accorda nce wi th Appe ndix 1; or A ppen dix 2; or Appendix 4 of the official 
assurance programme between N ew Zealand  Ministry for P rimary Industries  and the 
Thailand D epartment of  Agriculture . 
Additional declarations to the phytosanitary certif icate 
If satis fied that  the p re-shipment phytos anitary measu res have been undertaken effectively, 
Thailand’s  NPPO must  confirm th is by providing the following addit ional declarations to the 
phytosanitary certificate:  
 
The lychees in this consignment have:  
(i) been inspected i n acco rdance with a ppropriate o fficial proc edures and found to be free 
from  regulated pests, specifie d by the N ew Zealand  Ministry for P rimary Indus tries. 
 
  
 
 
 
  
AND  
 
(ii) been treated by irradiation at a minimum absorbed dose of 250 Gy for Conogethes 
punct iferalis . 
 OR 
 been m anaged usin g in-field co ntrols for Conogethes punctife ralis.  
 
 NOTE:  Compliance  with this a dditional de claration is not necessary for  
arthropods if the Th ailand NPP O certifies export of this consignment under 
Appendix 4. The consignment may contain live (but i nfertile or unable t o emerge 
from pupa tion) regulated ar thropod p ests.    
IHS Fresh  Fruit/Vegetable s Lyche e (Litchi ch inensis .) from Thailand   7 March 2023  
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 AND  
 
(iii) been treated in  accordan ce with Appendix 1; or Appendix 2; or Appendix 4 of the official 
assurance programme between N ew Z ealand  Ministry for P rimary Industries  and 
Thailand D epart ment of  Agricultur e. 
 
 
 NOTE:  Full de tails of the  vapour heat treatment (temper ature and  duration)  or 
cold dis infestation  (temperatu re and duration) or irradiation (including dosages ) 
must be included in the “Disinfestation an d/or Disin fection T reatm ent” area of  
the phyt osanitary certif icate or as an end orsed attachment to the phytos anitary 
certificate . 
 
Cold disi nfestation completed pre -export must have treatment details such as 
date, temperature, and durat ion of the cold disi nfestation  include d in t he 
treatment  section of  the phytosani tary certificate.  
 For cold disinfestation complet ed in -transit; p rintouts of all temperature sensor s 
or direct electronic downloads are to be made available to MPI at the po rt of 
arrival in New  Zealand f or final  clear ance of the container . 
  
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 Part E. Specified r egulated pest li st for lychee  from Thailand  
 
Scientific  name Organism type  Common name  Actions on interception  
Meliola eupaniae -majoris  fun sooty mould  2 
Peronophythora litchi i fun downy blosso m blight 2 
Phytophtho ra palmivora  fun black ro t 2 
Achaea janata  ins castor oil looper  2 or 4  
Aleurocan thus woglum i ins citrus blackfly  2 or 4  
Aonid iella orientalis  ins oriental red scale  2 or 4  
Bactrocera dorsalis  ins oriental fruit  fly 3 or 4 
Ceropl astes pseu doceri ferus  ins horned wax scale 2 or 4 
Ceroplastes rubens  ins pink wax scale  2 or 4  
Chrysomp halus aonidum  ins Florida red scale  2 or 4  
Chrysomphalus dictyospermi  ins Spanish red scale  2 or 4  
Coccus viridis  ins soft green s cale 2 or 4 
Conoge thes punct iferal is ins yellow pea ch moth 2a or 4 
Conopomorpha cramerell a ins cocoa pod borer  2 or 4  
Conopomorpha litc hiella  ins litchi leafminer  2 or 4 
Conopomorpha sinensis  ins litchi fruit borer  2 or 4  
Cryptophlebia ombrodelta  ins macad amia nut borer  2 or 4 
Deudori x epij arbas ins Cornelian butte rfly 2 or 4  
Dudua aprobo la ins brown tortrix  2 or 4  
Eublemma brachygon ia ins flower caterpillar  2 or 4  
Eublemma versicolor  ins flower caterpillar  2 or 4  
Eudocima fullonia  ins fruit-pierc ing m oth 2 or 4  
Eudocima sal aminia  ins fruit-pierci ng moth 2 or 4  
Ferrisia virga ta ins guava mealybug  2 or 4  
Henosepilach na vigintiocto punctata  ins hadda beetle  2 or 4  
Icerya seychellarum  ins Okada cottony -cushion scale  2 or 4  
Leptoglossus gonagra  ins coreid bug 2 or 4  
Megalurot hrips distal is ins cereal thrips 2 or 4 
Nipaecoccus viridis  ins spherical mealybug  2 or 4  
Oecophylla smarag dina ins red tree ant  2 or 4  
Orgyia postica  ins cocoa tussock moth  2 or 4  
Paracoccus interceptus  ins mealybug  2 or 4 
Parasa lepida  ins nettle c aterpil lar 2 or 4 
Pinnaspis strachani  ins Hibiscus s now scale  2 or 4  
Planococcus litchi  ins litchi mealybug  2 or 4  
Pseudococcus comstocki  ins Comstock mealybug  2 or 4  
Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi  Ins Jack Beardsley mealybug  2 or 4 
Pulvinaria  psidii ins green shield  scale  2 or 4 
Selenothri ps rubrocinctus  ins coco a thrips  2 or 4  
Tessaratoma java nica ins litchi stink bug  2 or 4  
Tessaratoma p apillosa  ins litchi stink bug  2 or 4  
Thrips hawaiiensis  ins Hawaiian flower thrips  2 or 4 
Tirathaba r ufivena ins fruit borer  2 or 4  
IHS Fresh Fruit/Vegetables  Lychee  (Litchi chinensis ) from Thailand  7 May 2014  
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 Xyleborus fornica tus ins tea sho thole bor er 2 or 4  
Xylotrupes gideon  ins elephant beetle  2 or 4  
Zeugodacus  cucurbitae  ins melon fly  3 or 4  
 
  
Actions on interception   
  
2 Treat, resort, reship or destr oy.   
2a Treat, reship or d estroy. Suspen d pathway.  
3 Reship or d estroy. Suspend pathway.  
4 Action dependent on pest int erception an d irradiation dosage certified 
as th e pre-export measure.  
 
Note: The suspension of the pathway could be at the productio n area, packhouse, s tate or country 
level,  depending o n the signifi cance of the pest interceptio n.  
IHS Fresh Fruit/Vegetables  Lychee  (Litchi chinensis ) from Thailand  7 May 2014  
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 Appendix 1: Verification  activities o n arrival in New Zealand  
MPI will inspect documentation on arrival in New Zealand. In addition, MPI may inspect a 
sample from  each lot  on a rrival  in New Z ealand  to verify requirements of the IHS have been met.  
 
Actions undertaken upon inter ception of irradiated regulated pests  
As the required response of regulated arthropod pests that have undergone the irradiation 
treatment is  prevention of  adult emergence or adult sterility (not morta lity) a possibility exists 
that live (but i nfertile or unable to emerg e from pupation) regulated arthro pods may be present in  
a consignment.  
In accordance with section 8.3 of ISPM 18 (2011) when mortality  is not the required  respo nse, 
the detec tion of liv e stages of regulated  pests in  import inspection should not be considered to 
represent treatment failur e resulting in non- compliance unless evidence exists to indicate that the 
integrity o f the treatment s ystem was i nadequate.  
MPI reserves t he right for a n analysis to be conducted on the detected regulated pest  to verify  
treatment efficacy .  
Appendix 2: Document  history  
This document history lists amendments since 2023. 
 
Version Date  Section Changed  Change Description  
8 Ma y 2014  All Standard issued  
[DATE p ublished]  Phytosanitary measures   Amended cold treatment temperature/duration