The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) has prepared this final report to assess the proposal by Japan for market access to Australia for melon fruit for human consumption.

Australia currently permits the importation of fresh rockmelon and honeydew melon fruit from European countries, New Zealand and the United States of America (except Hawaii) and fresh rockmelon and oriental melon fruit from the Republic of Korea for human consumption, provided Australian biosecurity import conditions are met.

This final report determines that the importation of commercially produced melon fruit (except oriental melon and oriental pickling melon) to Australia from all commercial production areas of Japan can be permitted, subject to a range of biosecurity requirements.

This final report contains details of plant pests that are of biosecurity concern to Australia and are potentially associated with the importation of melon fruit from Japan. The term ‘pests’ includes both arthropod pests and pathogens. This report also contains risk assessments for the identified quarantine pests and regulated articles, and, where required, recommended risk management measures to reduce the biosecurity risk to an acceptable level, that is, to achieve the appropriate level of protection (ALOP) for Australia.

Four pests have been identified in this risk analysis as requiring risk management measures to reduce the biosecurity risk to an acceptable level. These pests are:

-fruit fly: pumpkin fruit fly (Zeugodacus tau)

- thrips: intonsa flower thrips (Frankliniella intonsa), western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) and melon thrips (Thrips palmi).

Of these 4 pests:

- Three are quarantine pests (pumpkin fruit fly, intonsa flower thrips and melon thrips). Intonsa flower thrips and melon thrips are also identified as regulated articles as they are capable of harbouring and spreading orthotospoviruses that are quarantine pests for Australia.

- one is a non-quarantine pest (western flower thrips) but is identified as a regulated article as it is capable of harbouring and spreading orthotospoviruses that are quarantine pests for Australia.

The identified pests are the same, or of the same pest groups, as those associated with other horticultural commodities that have been analysed previously by the department.

In this final report the department recommends risk management measures, combined with operational systems, to reduce the risks posed by the 4 identified species to achieve the ALOP for Australia. The recommended measures are:

- for pumpkin fruit fly:

   -pest free areas, pest free places of production or pest free production sites; or

   -fruit treatment considered to be effective against fruit flies

-for thrips:

   -pre-export visual inspection and, if found, remedial action.