Statement of reasons for decision regards the issuing of a Section 99 Conditional Exemption

A Statement of Reasons has been published in relation to the decision to issue a Conditional Exemption under Section 99 of the Plant Quarantine Act (1997) to allow washed and ready to eat potatoes to be imported into Tasmania (from a single South Australian supplier).

STATEMENT OF REASONS_CONDITIONAL EXEMPTION TO THE MITOLO GROUP (790Kb)

The call for comments on the Statement of Reasons closed on Tuesday 6 October.

Independent Review of the decision regards the issuing of a Section 99 Conditional Exemption

Feedback received has been independently reviewed by independent expert Lois Ransom and recommendations accepted by the Secretary of DPIPWE.

The three recommendations are summarised below. Please see the report PDF for the full recommendations.

Summarised recommendations:

The Conditional Exemption, with a small number of recommended modifications, should remain in place and should not be revoked
The permit is revised to require that:
- All imported potatoes are grown from certified seed to reduce the risk of entry of potato virus Y (PVY) to an acceptable level.
- Retail packs containing imported potatoes are labelled ‘not for planting’.
The Statement of Reasons is revised to provide greater clarity on the risk of exotic strains of PVY and the measures being undertaken for its management to ensure an appropriate level of biosecurity protection.