Category: Latin America

We propose that all imported fresh blueberries need to comply with the general import and basic measure requirements.

General requirements

1. Exporting market NPPO complies with ISPM 7 phytosanitary certification system: This means MPI can rely on the phytosanitary assurances of the exporting market NPPO. 
2. Blueberries undergo phytosanitary inspection and certification: The exporting NPPO certifies and attests that requirements have been met.
3. Packaging is clean: This reduces the chances of pest contamination and of those pests being exported with blueberries.
4. Phytosanitary security is in place: This stops pests from infesting a consignment after it has been officially inspected.
5. Bilateral arrangements (export plans) are in place: There is a formal agreement with the exporting countries on how the import requirements will be achieved for pests that require targeted or MPI-specified measures.  

We propose that all fresh blueberries exported to New Zealand must be commercially produced. 

Our definition of commercial production

“A process (system) where activities, such as in-field monitoring, pest control activities, harvesting, cleaning, sorting, and grading, have been undertaken. These activities are carried out to minimise: 

• the presence of regulated pests
• damage that may be a result of the presence of a regulated pest or that could expose the commodity to regulated pests.”

The activities carried out in a commercial production setup, including pest control, harvesting, sorting, cleaning, inspection and packaging, together with phytosanitary inspection and certification, are referred to as basic measures. MPI considers that the pests listed as being managed by basic measures will have their risk reduced to an acceptable level, not zero. These basic measures also help lower the risk of any other regulated pests that may be associated with blueberries but are not specifically listed. We used basic measures as a baseline for our risk assessment. This means we did not treat pests as a risk requiring additional measures on the pathway if they were already being adequately managed by commercial production methods.

Basic measures and their outcomes

• In-field monitoring and pest control activities: Routine pest control activities reduce the number of pests in the field and regular monitoring allows growers to detect pests that may be present and manage them as needed.
• Cleaning: Trained workers or machinery will clean fruit to remove extraneous plant material, debris, soil, and large mobile pests.
• Sorting and grading: Trained workers will sort and grade fruit to remove damaged or visibly pest/disease-infested blueberries.
• Phytosanitary inspection and certification: Phytosanitary inspection and certification by the NPPO provide assurance that consignments meet MPI phytosanitary requirements and do not pose unacceptable pest risks.

While identifying hazards, 19 pests were identified that may not be visually detectable and managed by commercial production methods. Further assessment of these 19 pests was required to determine if basic measures would be sufficient.  

For all pests listed in Table 1, basic measures are considered to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. It is important to note that we do not propose to include these pests in the IHS itself, but the list of pests associated with fresh blueberries and managed by basic measures can be found in Pier Search (our database of import and export requirements).

Pier Search

Some species (fungi and thrips) were assessed as a group since they have similar biology and ecology and are likely to have comparable impacts. 

For an explanation on how we assess risk, refer to the details on risk assessment and impact ratings [PDF, 46 KB]

Table 1: Pests proposed to be added and managed by basic measures

Targeted measures are justified where we find that the risk posed by a pest is not sufficiently managed by basic measures alone. Table 2 has a selection of measures that may be considered for managing pests requiring targeted measures.

Table 2: Targeted measures and outcomes

After hazard identification, several new pests were flagged for further risk assessment to determine if additional measures were needed. Based on the assessment, Lobesia botrana (European grapevine moth) is proposed to require measures beyond basic requirements.

Rationale for Lobesia botrana (European grapevine moth) targeted measures

This moth is found in Chile and Morocco.

Though blueberries aren’t a primary host and the likelihood of entry is considered very low, additional measures are proposed. Early larval stages feed inside the fruit and may enter undetected because they don’t cause obvious external symptoms (webbing and frass) produced by older larval stages. The likelihood of exposure to other plants is very low, as larvae are likely to be weakened by cold storage and transport. This would limit their ability to transfer to host plants, and larvae are unlikely to develop on decaying discarded blueberries. If larvae survive and develop, the likelihood of establishment and spread is high due to suitable climate and widespread host availability. In grape-growing regions, this pest can produce multiple generations each year. Economic impact is moderate. It is a major pest for grapes (its primary host) and grapevine is a high-value crop in New Zealand.

Economically significant fruit flies are a high-risk pest group, and even an incursion could disrupt trade and cause large economic loses for New Zealand horticulturists. We propose managing economically significant fruit flies with the following specified measures, on top of basic measures.

Evidence supporting this proposal includes:

1. The economically significant flies are recorded in association with blueberries.
2. Infestations may not be visible because the eggs and maggots will be inside fruit. Fruit culling and general post-harvest handling are unlikely to remove all infested fruit.
3. The flies are likely to survive transit to New Zealand.
4. The flies have the potential to survive and complete development in blueberry waste, that is discarded fruit.
5. The flies are likely to find suitable host plants in New Zealand.
6. The flies all have potential to establish in at least some parts of New Zealand due to climatic factors. 
7. If a single economically significant fly is detected, it has the potential to cause major negative economic impacts to New Zealand, largely due to New Zealand’s current pest-free status for these flies.
   1. Costs incurred to investigate an incursion or respond to and eradicate an outbreak are high.
      1. For example, the Bactrocera tryoni (Queensland fruit fly) response in 2019 cost the New Zealand government approximately NZ$18 million.
   2. There would be financial and trade impacts on New Zealand.
      1. New Zealand horticulture exports are worth over NZ$8.8 billion (MPI, 2025).
      2. Trading partners are likely to impose restrictions and/or additional phytosanitary measures for all host material of these flies, which ca be costly to implement. 
         1. Market access loss at a cost close to AU$100 million was recorded for Bactrocera dorsalis (recorded as B. papaya) in North Queensland.
      3. Establishment of these flies can cause high control costs for growers.
         1. Control costs due to fruit flies have been estimated at over US7.5 million per annum in a single province (Western cape) in South Africa (Barnes, 2016).
         2. Without control measures, direct damage of fruit and vegetable commodities can be as high as 100%.
8. The flies have the potential to cause significant damage to other plants in New Zealand, including economically important species such as citrus.
9. The flies have the potential to cause social impacts by affecting plants in residential gardens.

An import health standard (IHS) specifies the requirements for importing goods into New Zealand from all countries with approved market access for that commodity.

To check the approval status and import requirements for specific commodities and countries, use Pier search.

Pier Search

If a commodity is not approved from a certain country, you can find more information about requirements on the web page ‘Steps to importing fresh fruit and vegetables’

MPI determines the strength of measures required for pests based on the risk of entry, exposure, establishment in New Zealand, and the potential impacts. Each risk component is assigned a rating – negligible, very low, low, moderate, or high – representing a scale of increasing risk. Depending on the strength and reliability of the supporting evidence, the level of confidence or uncertainty for each rating is described as low, moderate, or high.

The risk evaluation criteria include: 

• current scientific evidence of pest biology and association
• relevant production processes and methods
• relevant inspection, sampling and testing methods
• prevalence of pests and diseases in the country of origin
• relevant ecological and environmental compatibility (potential for long-term establishment in New Zealand)
• quarantine or in-transit treatment options
• potential economic and environmental consequences of entry and establishment (including the impact on cultural values).

MPI uses 3 different types of measures to manage pests and diseases: basic, targeted, and MPI-specified.

Pests managed by basic measures are those where commercial production methods (for example, standard cultivation pest control, harvesting, inspection, and packaging) and phytosanitary inspection will reduce the population to an acceptable level, not zero.

Pests that are not sufficiently managed by basic measures require targeted measures, such as pest-free places of production, phytosanitary treatment, systems approaches or in-field pest control. Targeted measures are assessed and negotiated between New Zealand and the exporting country’s National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) and are captured in the export plan.

MPI-specified measures are required when the risk of entry and incursion or establishment of a pest is high, and the consequence of establishment (or incursion) of a pest is severe. These are also included in the export plan and agreed on between New Zealand and the exporting country’s NPPO.

During the risk analysis stage, MPI identified pests and diseases associated with the commodity (blueberries with no stalk or other plant parts attached) and the import pathways covered in the IHS. Many pests may be associated with the blueberry plant, though not the commodity. For these pests that are unlikely to be found on the commodity, commercial production methods sufficiently manage the risk to the import pathway.

Other reasons for pests not being included as a pest risk for the commodity are:

• the pest is already present and established in New Zealand
• absence of the pest in the exporting markets
• non-regulated in the Official New Zealand Register.

Official New Zealand Pest Register

Consider that a pest may be listed under a different name. Scientific names sometimes change and we endeavour to use the currently valid scientific names. However, other names for the same species (synonyms) may exist.

Regardless of the strength of a measure, any viable regulated quarantine pest will be actionable at the border if intercepted. The same principle applies to pests that were not assessed in full. Although pests managed through basic measures are not listed in the import health standard, they will be listed in the Official New Zealand Pest Register, along with the actions that border inspectors should take if intercepted.

Official New Zealand Pest Register

Fresh blueberries represent a low-waste pathway when compared to other fresh produce where fruit skins, stems, seeds or other plant parts are not consumed. We have considered discarded imported berries at multiple points in the supply chain, including import, inspection, distribution, retail rejection and household disposal. Commercial production practices including manual harvesting, quality control and border inspections are expected to collectively exclude damaged or visibly compromised fruit from export. Berries without visible symptoms are likely to be consumed rather than be discarded.

While a few visibly damaged berries may end up with consumers, only a small proportion of such fruit is expected to be disposed of in ways that would expose pests or diseases to the New Zealand environment. Given the limited scale of such disposal and the low likelihood of viable pests encountering suitable hosts, exposure via the waste pathway is considered negligible to very low, even for pests with high establishment potential.