Lactuca sativa seed

Country
United States of America (US)
Group
Grains / Seeds
End use
Sowing
NPPO Details
Plant Protection and Quarantine, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Relevant Web Addresses
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/home/
Criteria Criteria Required?
Import Permit No
Phytosanitary Certificate Yes
Additional Declaration/Endorsement Refer below
Protocol Market No
Consignments are to be free from pests, soil, weed seeds and extraneous material.
 

It is the exporter's responsibility to ensure that the phytosanitary certificate is issued not more than 15 days prior to the consignment being exported from Australia. 

Packaging and shipping requirements

A typed or legibly printed list/invoice must accompany each shipment and must contain the name of the collector/shipper, the botanical names (genus and species) listed alphabetically, as well as the country of origin and the country of export for each taxon.

Consignments being shipped by mail or courier must be labelled as below:
  • Correctly and plainly addressed and mailed to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Program at one of the Approved Ports of Entry to receive plants for planting for import;
  • Accompanied by a separate sheet of paper within the package, plainly and correctly bearing the name, address, and telephone number of the intended recipient
  • Plainly and correctly on the outer container, have the following information:
    • General nature and quantity of the contents;
    • Country and locality where grown;
    • Name and address of shipper, owner, or person shipping or forwarding the plants for planting; and
    • Number of the written permit authorizing the importation, if one (written permit) is required under 7 CFR § 319.37-5.
Consignments being shipped by mail must bear a green and yellow shipping label (PPQ Form 508).

Consignments being shipped by other means (e.g. full containers) must be labelled on the outer container with the below:
  • General nature and quantity of the contents;
  • Country and locality where grown;
  • Name and address of shipper, owner, or person shipping or forwarding the plants for planting;
  • Name and address of consignee;
  • Identifying shipper's mark and number; and
  • Number of written permit authorizing the importation, if applicable.

Shipments that are deemed to prevent adequate on-arrival inspection or treatment (i.e. wrapped, coated, dipped or sprayed, or otherwise packaged in impermeable material) may be refused entry.

Small lots of seed permit conditions

If stated on the import permit (small lots of seed permit), small lots of seed may be imported without an accompanying phytosanitary certificate, provided that the following conditions outlined in the USDA Plants for Planting Manual in the Small lots of Seeds Permit section are met in addition to the packaging and shipping requirements outlined above.


If small lots of seeds are exported without an accompanying phytosanitary certificate as per the import permit conditions, no Authorised Officer inspection and issuance of an export permit is required for the consignment.


Explanation of the endorsements

A - United States of America is the final destination

A phytosanitary certificate with nil additional declaration is to be issued for seeds that will not be re-exported from United States of America.

B - Seed which will be re-exported from United States of America to a country other than Australia

For any consignments in which the seed is intended to be re-exported from the United States of America, the exporter is to advise the Authorised Officer of the required endorsement at the time of making an appointment for inspection.

Requests by exporters for additional declarations of seed for sowing being exported to the United States of America may be complied with where it is known that the seed shall be re-exported to another destination through a re-export phytosanitary certificate .

Where applicable, the exporter is to provide evidence attesting to the endorsement and present it to the Authorised Officer at the time of inspection.


Requests for additional declarations to meet re-export requirements

Exporters who require endorsements for re-export purposes are to providewritten evidence of the additional endorsements and which attests to theendorsement which Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry needs tocertify to on the Phytosanitary certificate.

Exporters who require a new EXDOC Endorsement for re-export certification purposes are to provide written evidence of the additional declarations that need to be endorsed on the phytosanitary certificate. Requests are to be emailed to MicorPlants@aff.gov.au for action.

C - Seeds intended to be re-exported back to Australia after coating and/or taping

For seed to be re-exported back to Australia after coating/taping, the seed lot number/s must be entered in the "lot number" field of the EXDOC Request for Permit (RFP)".

Seed Lot number are to be endorsed on the phytosanitary certificate in the lot number field for traceability.

Some seeds require mandatory import permit before they can be imported into Australia. Exporters must contact Plant Import Operations (imports@aff.gov.au) before importing seeds back into Australia. 

Note:

  • The MICoR case was created to facilitate trade based on available information. Exporters are encouraged to confirm the import requirements in case these may have changed without a formal notification to Australia.
  • Seed lot number is not required for seeds that will not be re-exported back to Australia after coating or taping.
Option 1 (EXDOC Endorsement 846) – valid to 5/3/2027
Additional Official Phytosanitary Information:
1) Khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) is not known to occur in Australia,
2) A representative sample was inspected and found to be free of Trogoderma spp,
3) Crop was inspected during active growth and found to be free of Alfalfa mosaic virus, Arabis mosaic neprovirus, Lettuce mosaic potyvirus, Tobacco streak virus, Tomatto spotted wilt virus, Turnip mosaic virus, Bacterial blight of endives (Pseudomonas chichorii), Leafy gall fasciation (Rhodococcus fascians), Lettuce septoria blight (Septoria lactucae), Verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum), Blight (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Vitians) and Bacterial leaf blight (Xanthomonas campestris pv. Vitians).

Option 2 (EXDOC Endorsement 847) – valid to 5/3/2027
Additional Official Phytosanitary Information:
1) Crop was inspected during active growth and found to be free of Lettuce mosaic virus.

Option 3 (EXDOC Endorsement 5760) – valid to 5/3/2027
Additional Official Phytosanitary Information:
1) Khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium), Tomatoblack ring virus and Licorice rot (Mycocentrospora acerina) are not known tooccur in Australia,
2) A representative sample was inspected and found to be free of Trogodermaspp,
3) Crop was inspected during active growth and found to be free of Alfalfamosaic virus, Arabis mosaic virus, Cucumber mosaic virus, Bacterial stock rot (Erwiniachrysanthemi), Lettuce mosaic virus, Potato cyst nematode/Nematodo dorado (Globoderarostochiensis), Leafy gall fasciation (Rhodococcus fascians), Bacterial blightof endives (Pseudomonas chichorii), Halo blight on bean pods (Pseudomonas savastanoipv. phaseolicola), Bacterial speck disease (Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato),Lettuce Septoria blight (Septoria lactucae), Tomato spotted wilt virus, Tobaccostreak virus, Turnip mosaic virus, Verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum),Blight (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vitians) and Bacterial leaf blight(Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians).

Option 4 (EXDOC Endorsement 5977) – valid to 5/3/2027
Additional Official Phytosanitary Information:
1) Tomato black ring virus is not known to occur in Australia,
2) The crop was inspected during active growth and found free from Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV), Lettuce ringspot virus, Tobacco ringspot virus and Bacterial leaf spot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians).

Option 5 (EXDOC Endorsement 8345) – valid to 5/3/2027
Additional Official Phytosanitary Information:
1) Nepovirus nigranuli (syn. Tomato black ring virus, Lettuce ringspot virus) is not known to occur in Australia,
2) The crop was inspected during active growth and found free from Bidens mottle virus, Downy mildew (Bremia lactucae), Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae (Fol), Carrot root nematode (Heterodera carotae), Lettuce infectious yellows virus, Lettuce mosaic virus (syn. LMV), Nepovirus arabis (syn. Arabis mosaic virus), Nepovirus nicotianae(syn. Tobacco ringspot virus), Ophiovirus mirafioriense (syn. Lettuce big vein virus), Orthotospovirus impatiensnecromaculae (syn. Impatiens necrotic spot virus), Bacterial blight of endive (Pseudomonas cichorii), Bacterial fasciation (Rhodococcus fascians), Sclerotinia disease of lettuce (Sclerotinia minor), Lettuce septoria blight (Septoria lactucae), Witch Weed (Striga spp.), Tobacco rattle virus, Tomato infectious chlorosis virus and Xanthomonas hortorum pv. Vitians (syn. Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians).
NPPO Notification and written requests from exporter dated 12 December 2019, 24 February 2020, 26 May 2022 and 18 February 2026, Plants for Planting Manual sighted 29 July 2022.
05/03/2026 - Validity dates added to re-export endorsements.
19/02/2026 - New endorsement 8345 created.
13/02/2026 - Updated spelling of Leafy gall fasciation.
01/08/2022 - Amended packaging and shipping requirements in the general requirements section.
26/05/2022 - Added a statement in the General Requirements section regarding the USA's requirement for the timing of issuance of the phytosanitary certificate.
Initial Uploaded: 07/02/2017
Reviewed Uploaded: 18/07/2026