[for stakeholder's comments up to 2024-12-16]

The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) has prepared this draft 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 draft 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 draft 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, proposed risk management measures to reduce the biosecurity risk to an acceptable level, that is, to achieve the appropriate level of protection (ALOP) for Australia.

Three 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:

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

All 3 pests are quarantine pests, and were also identified as regulated articles as they are 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.

The proposed risk management measures take account of regional differences in pest distribution within Australia. Western flower thrips has been identified as a regional quarantine pest for the Northern Territory and melon thrips has been identified as a regional quarantine pest for South Australia and Western Australia. These pests are considered regional quarantine pests as interstate quarantine regulations and enforcement are in place to prevent the introduction and distribution of these pests.

In this draft report the department proposes risk management measures, combined with operational systems, to reduce the risks posed by the 3 identified species to achieve the ALOP for Australia. The proposed measure is:

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

This draft report has been published on the department website to allow interested parties to provide comments and submissions within the specified consultation period.