Import requirements for ornamental plants for planting. Adoption date of regulation: 23 April 2024

This is an addendum to New Zealand’s WTO notification (G/SPS/N/NZL/761), made on 31 January 2024, on proposed changes to import requirements for ornamental plants for planting. The notified amendment was a risk management proposal for the management of phytoplasmas on ornamental plants for planting imported into New Zealand. This addendum does not extend the scope of the previously notified regulation, nor will it potentially affect Members as this is a trade enabling amendment.In response to comments on our first proposal, we have adjusted a couple of risk management measures as follows: Amended high certainty pathways to restrict them to the commodity type that has been imported into New Zealand (e.g., tissue culture), rather than all commodity types. The high certainty pathways now are:Alstroemeriatissue culture from the Netherlands;Anemonebulbs from Israel and the Netherlands;Dahliabulbs from the Netherlands;Gerberatissue culture from India;Narcissus bulbs from the United Kingdom;Paeoniabulbs from the Netherlands;Rosawhole plants, cuttings and tissue culture from Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom;AlstroemeriaBegoniaDahliaDianthus caryophyllusFreesiaGladiolusLilium and Narcissusbulbs from the Netherlands imported under an MPI-approved propagation scheme (Naktuinbouw and Bloembollenkeuringsdienst (BKD));Dianthus caryophylluswhole plants from the Netherlands imported under an MPI-approved propagation scheme (Naktuinbouw and BKD);Added a nine-month transitional period for the phytoplasma amendments to come into force. This is because several hosts imported as bulbs are produced in the northern hemisphere, where growing season inspection has already started.We have now drafted the import health standard and changed the proposed date of entry into force to 14 March 2025.