13 March 2026
Who does this notice affect?
This notice affects importers of live plants (nursery stock), customs brokers and departmental staff.
What has changed?
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) is extending Australia's emergency measures for the bacterial pathogen, Xylella, to a newly identified plant host imported as nursery stock.
Effective immediately, the emergency measures will apply to Musa sp. (banana) plants brought into Australia as nursery stock. This means that imported Musa spp. plants must undergo additional testing during the post-entry quarantine (PEQ) period in Australia, to confirm that they are free from Xylella.
The change will apply to new banana plant imports, and imports that are currently undergoing PEQ in Australia.
We are making this change based on a recent report of Xylella being detected in Musa plants overseas. The department considers that the experimental methodology and analysis provide credible evidence for natural host association, and regulatory measures are warranted to manage this risk to achieve Australia's appropriate level of protection.
Reference:
Sambolín-Pérez, CA, Montes-Jiménez, SM, Montes-Jiménez, HM, Rosa-Morales, Y, Aybar-Batista, R, Núñez-Marrero, ÁR, Rivera-Vicéns, RE, Ríos-Velázquez, C & Negrón-Berríos, JA 2026, 'Revealing and characterizing bacterial communities of in vitro Musa species through 16S rDNA metabarcoding and culture dependent approaches', Scientific Reports, vol. 16, no. 5214, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35510-9.
Import permits
The department will contact affected clients and import permit holders to vary existing permits in line with the above changes. Permit variations will be initiated by the department at no cost to permit holders.
Background
- Xylella is Australia's top priority plant pest. It is an invasive bacterial pathogen that causes a devastating disease in over 700 species of plants.
- If Xylella were to enter Australia, it would be practically impossible to eradicate as there is no treatment or cure.
- The department remains committed to staying vigilant to monitor for new scientific evidence to inform the need to broaden Xylella risk management measures to additional host genera.
Further information
More information on Australia's emergency measures for Xylella in imported nursery stock is located on the department's website.
Please contact Plant Import Operations via email?at imports@aff.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email 'Plant T2 –?Xylella').