Importing requirements for hop plants for planting

Have your say

We're proposing some changes to the requirements for importing hop plants for planting.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) wants your feedback about the proposed changes.

The consultation is open for submissions between 18 August and 29 September 2023.

On this page, we outline our risk management proposal. Find out about:

We will consider any feedback on this proposal before drafting an import health standard or amending the existing standard.

What we are proposing

We are proposing to change requirements so that people can import hop species safely.

People will be able to import 2 hop species:

Humulus lupulus
Humulus neomexicanus

People will be able to import them from any country, in the form of micro-propagated plantlets (tissue cultures and plants in vitro).

We also want to allow imports from more export sources. People will be able to import whole plants and cuttings into quarantine. The quarantine facility will then use those plants or cuttings to create plants in vitro that will go through inspection and testing in a quarantine greenhouse.

We propose that inspecting and testing plants offshore, or in post-entry quarantine in New Zealand, will manage the risk from hop pests.

About the risks from hop plant pests

Our analysis found that 17 key pests are associated with imported hops plants and pose a risk to New Zealand.

For details, refer to rationale and costs

Biosecurity risks from 5 of the 17 pests need to be managed by a level 3B post-entry quarantine facility (the highest level of quarantine containment for plants).

We propose giving importers a choice to manage these pests offshore using additional testing by exporters and declarations by the exporting country's government.

Another way to manage risk offshore is through an MPI-approved offshore facility for testing and holding hop plants. Currently, there are no offshore facilities approved for hop plants.

Find out about offshore facilities and requesting approval

If the pest risks that need a Level 3B facility are managed before the hops are exported to New Zealand, then the hops will go into a Level 2 post-entry quarantine to manage the remaining risk.

Read the facility standard: Post Entry Quarantine for Plants [PDF, 545 KB]

Why we want to make these changes

We want to allow people to import these 2 hop species safely. Although there are existing import requirements for Humulus lupulus (in the Nursery Stock Import Health Standard), we are not currently allowing imports of these hops because the existing requirements are not safe.

Nursery Stock Import Health Standard (page 190) [PDF, 2.7 MB]

Making your submission

We’re happy to discuss the proposal at any time during the consultation period. You can give us feedback several ways. Choose the method that suits you best.

Complete our online survey – SurveyMonkey
Email your submission to PlantImports@mpi.govt.nz
Phone or video call us.

We must get your submission by 5pm on 29 September 2023.

What we want to know

We want to hear your views on:

the measures that have been proposed
the feasibility of importing under the proposed requirements
this approach to consulting with you.

Attend a webinar

We are having online question and answer sessions for stakeholders on:

29 August at 2pm
18 September at 10am.

If you want to attend a session, email Plantimports@mpi.govt.nz

Do you want a different hop species?

While this proposal only includes 2 species of hop, you can make a request for us to prioritise work on another species.

Find out how to request a new import health standard

Proposed timeline

18 August to 29 September: Consultation on this risk management proposal.

13 October to 27 October: Consultation on a draft import health standard.

17 November 2023: Final import health standard issued.

We will consider your feedback on this proposal and then draft an import health standard.

We will send the draft standard to you on 13 October 2023 and would appreciate your feedback on it as well.

We will consider your feedback on the standard and make any changes we need to before we publish it in November 2023.

Our development process

The process we followed to make this proposal to manage biosecurity risk and enable safe trade of hop plants.

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Identifying the risks

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We searched scientific literature for pests that can be found on hop plants.

We analysed whether they could cause a significant impact to New Zealand and be present in plants released from post-entry quarantine.

Many pests did not need more assessment at this point for various reasons. For example, we could not confirm that a pest is associated with hops, the pest is unlikely to harm New Zealand, or the pest is already present in New Zealand.

Assessing the risks

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We assessed more information about the pests we identified.

Some pests did not need more assessment at this point because, there was little evidence the pest was associated with hops, and the pest is managed by general import requirements and Level 2 post-entry quarantine for 6 months.

We concluded that 17 pests posed enough biosecurity risk for us to do a full review of scientific literature.

Read the rationale for offshore and onshore import requirements

Managing the risks appropriately

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From the 17 pests identified, we concluded:

12 can be managed by inspection during the plants' 6 months in Level 2 post-entry quarantine, but 6 of those need additional import requirements (for example, PCR testing or offshore management).
5 can be managed by inspection during the plants' 6 months in Level 3B post-entry quarantine, but 4 of those need additional import requirements (for example, PCR testing or offshore management).

If some pests can be managed offshore, PEQ time could be shorter, tests could be fewer, and the level of quarantine facility could be lower.

Developing the import health standard

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After hearing your opinion on this proposal, we will draft an import health standard, which we will share with you for feedback before publishing.

The import health standard is the legal document that explains the import requirements and allows plants to be traded safely.

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Rationale for offshore and onshore import requirements

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This section has details about the current requirements for in vitro plants, the proposed requirements for in vitro hops, the rationale for these requirements, and the pests themselves.

Current general import requirements for plants in vitro

All plants imported in vitro need to comply with general import requirements. These include that plants must be:

clearly labelled with their scientific name (genus and species).
produced in a facility that prevents contamination with regulated pests.
grown in a transparent and pest-proof container, which they are imported in.
grown in a sanitised growing medium that does not contain fungicides, antibiotics, or charcoal.
accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate stating that the plants have been inspected in the exporting country according to appropriate procedures and conform with New Zealand’s current entry conditions.

Proposed inspection and testing requirements for hops

This table covers the rationale for requiring certain levels of quarantine containment and specific tests. Some pests have context that differs from the generic rationale. This context is listed by the pest in the table.

Requirement needed to manage biosecurity risk	Rationale	Pests
General requirements	Our analysis shows that these pests are unlikely to be present after going through the process of creating in-vitro cultures, and phytosanitary inspection.	Insects, mites, nematodes
Specific requirements L2 PEQ inspection (6 months)	Our analysis shows that some pests need post-entry quarantine because they will not be managed by general requirements only. These pests are likely to be detected during quarantine because the pests are likely to develop visible symptoms within 6 months. These pests are likely to be contained in Level 2 post-entry quarantine because they are not waterborne or airborne.	Arabis mosaic virus small satellite RNA It can be asymptomatic, but testing is not proposed because there is variable impact on certain hop varieties and no recent reports (last reported in 1983), which suggests the pest is of lesser significance. Ascochyta humuliphila While some species in this genus can be asymptomatic, this species is not known to be, so we expect to see symptoms during quarantine. Cercospora ‘sp. Q’ Diaporthe humulicola While some species in this genus can be asymptomatic, this species is not known to be, so we expect to see symptoms during quarantine. Phaeomycocentrospora cantuariensis Pseudocercospora humuli
Specific requirements L2 PEQ inspection (6 months) + PCR test	Our analysis shows that these pests need specific testing on top of Level 2 post-entry quarantine because they may not be detected during inspection. The pests can be asymptomatic or have a latent period longer than 6 months.	Apple fruit crinkle viroid ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ Citrus bark cracking viroid Fusarium luffae Fusarium meridionale Hop stunt viroid [strains not in NZ]
Specific requirements L3B PEQ (6 months)	Our analysis shows that these pests need post-entry quarantine Level 3B to contain them because the infrastructure in Level 2 post-entry quarantine cannot contain waterborne or airborne pests, and certain insect vectors.	Podosphaera macularis
Specific requirements L3B PEQ inspection (6 months) + PCR test	Our analysis shows that these pests need specific testing on top of Level 3B post-entry quarantine because they may not be detected during inspection. These pests can be asymptomatic or have a latent period longer than 6 months.	Petunia asteroid mosaic virus Pseudoperonospora humuli Resistant cultivars may be infected without expressing visible symptoms. Differences in susceptibility of cultivars to root and shoot infection mean both root and shoot tissue needs to be tested. We are also considering humid conditions & misting in post-entry quarantine to increase the likelihood of detection. Verticillium nonalfalfae [hop strain] Xylella fastidiosa

Costs associated with this proposed pathway

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Although exact costs will vary between importers, exporters and service providers, we have outlined the likely costs for this proposed import pathway.

We believe these costs are appropriate for the level of biosecurity risk they will manage. However, we would like to hear from you if you have any concerns around the feasibility or the costs of this pathway.

Costs of importing into Level 3B post-entry quarantine

Offshore factors	Export inspection and certification (phytosanitary certificate); transport; storage
Onshore factors	Level 3B PEQ facility access for a minimum 6 months; MPI inspections and administration. 10 pest specific tests, including PCR and options for ELISA or plating where needed. Humid conditions and misting in post-entry quarantine might be needed, to make detecting some pests more likely (for example, Pseudoperonospora humuli).
Expected overall cost (compared to other plant imports)	High: Level 3B PEQ room lease costs are expected to increase soon.
Uncertainties	Availability of Level 3B PEQ space.

Costs of importing into Level 2 post-entry quarantine

If Petunia asteroid mosaic virus, Pseudocercospora humuli, Pseudoperonospora humuli, Verticillium nonalfalfae, Xylella fastidiosa are managed offshore, then Level 2 post-entry quarantine will manage the remaining pests.

Offshore factors	Export inspection and certification (phytosanitary certificate); transport; storage; offshore testing; MPI-approved offshore facility audits and service
Onshore factors	Level 2 PEQ facility access for a minimum 6 months; MPI inspections and administration. Six pest specific tests, including PCR and options for ELISA or plating where needed.
Expected overall cost (compared to other plant imports)	Moderate–high: higher cost per consignment when offshore facility audit costs are included.
Uncertainties	The management of offshore official propagation schemes has not been evaluated yet.

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

Importing requirements for hop plants for planting

Closing date

Contact

Email

Have your say

What we are proposing

About the risks from hop plant pests

Why we want to make these changes

Making your submission

What we want to know

Attend a webinar

Do you want a different hop species?

Proposed timeline

Our development process

Identifying the risks

Assessing the risks

Managing the risks appropriately

Developing the import health standard

Rationale and costs for this proposal

Rationale for offshore and onshore import requirements

Current general import requirements for plants in vitro

Proposed inspection and testing requirements for hops

Costs associated with this proposed pathway

Costs of importing into Level 3B post-entry quarantine

Costs of importing into Level 2 post-entry quarantine

References

Submissions are public information

MPI business units