Lucerne seed
Country
New Zealand (NZ)
Scientific Name
Medicago spp.
Group
Grains / Seeds
End use
Consumption
NPPO Details
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
Relevant Web Addresses
| Criteria | Criteria Required? |
|---|---|
| Import Permit | No |
| Phytosanitary Certificate | Yes |
| Additional Declaration/Endorsement | Yes |
| Protocol Market | No |
Consignments are to be free from pests, soil, weed seeds and extraneous material.
Where applicable, the exporter is to provide evidence attesting to the endorsement and present it to the Authorised Officer at the time of inspection.
Where applicable, the exporter is to provide evidence attesting to the endorsement and present it to the Authorised Officer at the time of inspection.
The consignment must meet all requirements of IHS Part 1 and Part 2, including the requirement to be free of unidentified viable seeds which are:
- not listed in the PBI
- listed as "entry prohibited" in the PBI
- listed in the PBI and present in volumes greater than 0.1% in weight of the consignment
- listed in the Schedule of Regulated (Quarantine) Weed Seeds.
Lucerne seed devitalised in Australia:
- Applies to viable grain / seed for treatment to render them non-viable in Australia
- grain must be rendered non-viable prior to arrival in New Zealand, using one of the treatment options listed in Appendix 2 of the IHS
- Additional Decleration 1304 is required- see treatment section below for details
- Heat treatment certificate is required for endorsement 1304.
Lucerne seed to be treated in New Zealand:
- Applies to viable grain / seed for treatment to render them non-viable at a transitional facility
- grain that are to be treated on arrival, the importer should, priot to import, ensure that the transitional facility can treat the consignment
- No Additional Decleration is required.
Lucerne seed for processing in New Zealand:
- Applies to viable grain / seed for processing to render them non-viable at a transitional facility
- A Sampling Certificate (Additional Statement 8191) and Seed Analysis Certificate is required, otherwise the grain will be analysed upon arrival in New Zealand
- The Seed Analysis Certificate must be issued by an Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) or ISTA accredited seed testing station or an Australian laboratory capable of undertaking the analysis.
Importation of grain/seeds for biosecurity clearance on arrival at the New Zealand border:
- A Sampling Certificate (Additional Statement 8191) and Seed Analysis Certificate is required, otherwise the grain will be analysed upon arrival in New Zealand
- The Seed Analysis Certificate must be issued by an Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) or ISTA accredited seed testing station or an Australian laboratory capable of undertaking the analysis.
Note: when using the option for Importation of grain/seeds for biosecurity clearance on arrival at the New Zealand border Medicago spp. seeds must be free of unapproved genetically modified (GM) grain/seeds.
Importation of viable grain/seeds for biosecurity clearance on arrival (applies to endorsements 832, 2145 and 6411)
- Applies to viable grain / seed for biosecurity clearance on arrival (IHS section 2.13.4)
- A Sampling Certificate (Additional Statement 8191) and Seed Analysis Certificate is required, otherwise the grain will be analysed upon arrival in New Zealand.
- The Seed Analysis Certificate must be issued by an Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) or ISTA accredited seed testing station or an Australian laboratory capable of undertaking the analysis.
- A genetically modified seed test certificate is required, otherwise the grain will be tested for GM seeds upon arrival in New Zealand.
Endorsement 832:
- A Pest Free Area Certificate for Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) must be presented at the time of inspection.
Endorsement 2145:
- A Crop Inspection Certificate for Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) must be presented at the time of inspection.
Endorsement 6411:
- Consignments must meet the requirements listed in the section above titled Importation of viable grain/seeds for biosecurity clearance on arrival.
- A Laboratory Analysis Certificate for Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) must be presented at the time of inspection.
- A Sampler's Certificate, Laboratory Analysis Certificate or Exporter's Declaration must be presented as evidence that the Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) testing sample was drawn size of five times ISTA or AOSA guidelines/methodologies.
- The sample rate required for the Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) is different to the sample rate required for the seed analysis.
Explanation of Additional Statement 8191:
This Additional Statement replaces EXDOC extra certificate GL13.
This is applicable when all the below apply:
• The consignment is being imported for further processing.
• Pre-export sampling is an option for this product—check the relevant entry in the GCFP.IHS: Grain and Seeds for Consumption, Feed or Processing 2024 - Import Health Standard.
• The consignment is NOT being analysed in New Zealand as per 1.6 of the GCFP.IHS.
If endorsements 1304 is applied, then the consignment must be heat treated at:
- 85 degrees Celsius for 15 hours at a minimum 40% relative humidity.
The exporter is to provide evidence attesting to the treatment and present it to the Authorised Officer at the time of inspection.
Option 1 (EXDOC Endorsement 1304)
1) The grain/seed in this consignment has been heat treated and the consignment contains no viable seeds.
1) The grain/seed in this consignment has been heat treated and the consignment contains no viable seeds.
Option 2 (EXDOC Endorsement 832)
1) Pea early browning tobravirus and Peanut stunt cucumovirus are not known to occur in Australia,
2) Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) is known not to occur in the area of production.
1) Pea early browning tobravirus and Peanut stunt cucumovirus are not known to occur in Australia,
2) Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) is known not to occur in the area of production.
Option 3 (EXDOC Endorsement 2145)
1) Pea early browning tobravirus and Peanut stunt cucumovirus are not known to occur in Australia,
2) The crop was inspected during active growth and found free from Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) were detected.
Option 4 (EXDOC Endorsement 6411)
1) Pea early browning tobravirus and Peanut stunt cucumovirus are not known to occur in Australia,
2) The consignment was representatively sampled with a sample size of five times (5x) ISTA or AOSA guidelines/methodologies and tested in an NPPO approved diagnostic laboratory and found free from Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa).
1) Pea early browning tobravirus and Peanut stunt cucumovirus are not known to occur in Australia,
2) The crop was inspected during active growth and found free from Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa) were detected.
Option 4 (EXDOC Endorsement 6411)
1) Pea early browning tobravirus and Peanut stunt cucumovirus are not known to occur in Australia,
2) The consignment was representatively sampled with a sample size of five times (5x) ISTA or AOSA guidelines/methodologies and tested in an NPPO approved diagnostic laboratory and found free from Bacterial leafspot of alfalfa (Xanthomonas campestris pv. alfalfa).
Option 1 (Additional Statement 8191)
Declaration for seed sampling
1) A primary sample was officially drawn during the loading of the consignment, at a rate of at least one primary sample per 100 tonnes of grain.
2) All submitted samples were prepared and dispatched in accordance with ISTA rules.
Import Health Standard sighted 19 July 2022 and 13 February 2026, notification from NPPO dated 19 July 2022.
23/02/2026 - New additional statement 8191 created.
25/07/2022 - Amended case based on revised Import Health Standards.
01/03/2021 - Updates to general requirements - reference to IHS added.
25/07/2022 - Amended case based on revised Import Health Standards.
01/03/2021 - Updates to general requirements - reference to IHS added.
Initial Uploaded: 29/07/2014
Reviewed Uploaded: 24/02/2026