Importing Seeds

As you know, the movement of plant material (seeds, live plants etc) is controlled at both federal and state levels. If importing material from overseas, you need to check two sets of regulations: federal and state. If you are receiving material from another state within Australia, you only need to check your state's regulations.

The rest of this article refers primarily to seeds but the regulations for live plant material are very similar. Before looking at the regulations, a brief introduction to botanical names might be useful.

A plant species is specified by two names. For example, the Jap or Kent pumpkin is a member of the species Cucurbita moschata. The first of the two names is the genus, so our pumpkin belongs to the genus Cucurbita, along with all other pumpkins. The second of the two names, in this case moschata, is a species identifier but is not enough on its own to identify the species. To properly identify a species requires both names so our pumpkin is Cucurbita moschata. Botanical names can usually be found by using an online search engine such as Google. Simply type the plant name, along with the words botanical name, into the search engine.

And now down to tin tacks…

Federal Regulations

The federal regulations are administered by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). They have made it very easy to check whether a particular plant is permitted by providing an online database known as ICON (I-mport CON-ditions).

Using ICON is very straight forward, as long as you know the botanical name for the plant whose seeds you wish to import. Let's suppose you want to import some eggplant seeds. Eggplant is Solanum melongena.

Go to the ICON search page, either by searching for ICON AQIS via Google or go directly to the web site address http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp.

There are three fields on the search page:

  • Commodity

  • From country

  • For end use

ICON requires only the genus name so in the Commodity field, type Solanum for our eggplant.

In the For end use field select Seeds for sowing and press the Search button.

ICON will display all the species it has listed for the genus Solanum. Scan down the page until you find Solanum melongena and click on this entry. Again scan down the page to where the conditions are listed. If the very first condition is An Import Permit is not required, you are free to import the seed as long as you observe the remaining conditions.

The remaining conditions can be summarised as follows:

  • Seeds must be clean and free of debris.

  • Seed packaging must be new. AQIS have been known to confiscate otherwise allowed seeds because the packet had been opened and was therefore not "new"!

  • Each packet must contain a single species, that is, mixed seeds in one packet are not permitted.

  • Each packet must be clearly labelled with the botanical name, so our eggplant must have Solanum melongena written clearly on the packet. You will more than likely have to ask your seed supplier to write these on as most of them do not print the botanical names on the packet. If your supplier inadvertently leaves the names off, AQIS may accept a fax from them specifying the botanical names of the seeds. Then again, they may not

  • Total weight must be less than 100g. Shipments weighing more than 100g are treated as commercial imports and are subject to more costly procedures: a compulsory inspection for example.

 

Let's do one more example. Suppose we want to import some seeds for a butternut type pumpkin. The botanical name is Cucurbita moschata so we type Cucurbita into the Commodity field, select Seeds for sowing and press the Search button. This time, we do not get a listing for Cucurbita moschata. The list consists of a couple of species, none of them Cucurbita moschata, and a catch-all listing Cucurbita spp. This stands for Cucurbita species and this is where we need to look. Click on this then proceed as before.

ICON contents can change without notice so it is always necessary to check. If what you are looking for is not listed then it is not permitted.

One last point. It is best to use standard airmail post for seeds. If you ask for courier service, a quarantine inspection fee of the order of $50 will be levied.

That's all there is to it. There are many plants whose seeds can be imported so go ahead, check with ICON.

The States

Each state has its own quarantine regulations so whether you are importing from overseas or simply from interstate, you need to check with the relevant state authorities. Of course, if you are buying seeds from a seed company within Australia, they will have already checked and will not, or should not, sell you seed that you cannot import. If you are receiving seeds privately though, you should check. Be aware that some states have internal restrictions as well though these tend to be for live plant material rather than seeds.

Do not expect a state equivalent to the federal ICON database. Online lists do exist but they are usually difficult to locate and mostly uninformative. Western Australia is the only possible exception (see the relevant entry for this state a little further on). Direct contact is often best at state level, so use the phone numbers provided below.

However, a good first step is to check the brochure Travellers' Guide to Interstate Quarantine published by Quarantine Domestic. At the time of creating this web page, the brochure was available online: Travellers' Guide to Interstate Quarantine.

If the brochure doesn't provide the information you need, Quarantine Domestic also provides a telephone service: Freecall Quarantine Domestic - 1800 084 881, though I think it just defaults to the local state service.

The brochure also lists the contact details for each state. These are reproduced below for your convenience.

It is worth noting that noxious weed lists vary from state to state. Please check that the plant you wish to grow is not on your state's noxious weed list. A good starting point is Weeds Australia.

Australian Capital Territory

Regulations are administered by Environment ACT but generally follow those of NSW. Telephone (02) 6207 9777.

New South Wales

Regulations are administered by the NSW Department of Primary Industries. With the notable exception of cotton, there are few restrictions on seed imports into the state provided the plant is not on the state's noxious weed list and provided it is allowed into the country in the first place. The noxious weed list is available for download via their web site. The quarantine office is based at Orange and can be contacted on (02) 6391 3583

Northern Territory

Quarantine in the Northern Territory is administered by the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines. The quarantine section of the web site is difficult to find. Most of the restrictions apply to live plants. Try calling (08) 8999 2138 which is the Darwin quarantine office.

South Australia

In South Australia, it is Primary Industries and Resources SA that administers the quarantine regulations. You can contact them on (08) 8269 4500.

Tasmania

Tasmania has very specific quarantine restrictions so please exercise care when importing seeds and plants into the state. Quarantine regulations are administered by the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment. Telephone (03) 6233 3352.

Victoria

The Department of Primary Industries, and more specifically the Plant Standards Branch, is responsible for the administration of quarantine regulations in Victoria. Like New South Wales, there are few restrictions where seeds are concerned beyond those applied at the federal level but there are specific restrictions on live plants. Contact the local Plant Standards Office (a list of offices is available on the DPI web site) or call the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Western Australia

Like Tasmania, Western Australia has a stringent quarantine policy on the importation of plant materials into the state. Quarantine is administered through the Western Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and they have a searchable database located here . This database refers only to imports within Australia so you will still need to check the federal regulations if importing from overseas. The WAQIS contact list is extensive so, if you need to contact them, it would be best to check the web site to find the appropriate number. General enquiries is (08) 9334 1800.

Note: the web site addresses and phone numbers above were correct at the time this web page was created. Please contact administration at Ausgarden should they subsequently change so that we can keep this page up to date.