Halyomorpha halys, the marbled stink bug, belongs to the tree bugs and causes great damage to fruit trees. It has its origin in the East Asian region, but has already been at home in the USA for some time and is now widespread in several European countries, including Germany. To prevent the spread of the pest in Australia, the Australian Department for Agriculture and Water Resources has decreed that high-risk goods from countries where the bug is prevalent must be properly fumigated or heat-treated prior to import.

The list of high-risk goods is extensive and includes products made of wood, glass, aluminium and steel, as well as weapons, machinery and vehicles and their components. The scheme applies both to goods produced in high-risk countries and to goods exported via those countries. A further list has been published of high-risk goods which do not need to be pre-treated but which will be subject to more frequent random checks at import.

Packaging materials are not affected The stricter regulations do not affect the use of the Inca pallet: the new regulations do not apply to packaging materials, but only to the goods themselves. "Wood and wood products are on the list of high-risk goods," explains Andreas Heinrich, Product Manager of Inka Paletten GmbH. "As long as the Inca pallet is used as packaging and is not exported as a commodity itself, it can still be imported untreated into Australia. The Inca pallet, which is manufactured from pressed wood, continues to be subject to the specifications of ISPM 15 in Australia, which allows pressed wood pallets to be exported without treatment and IPPC marking.

The tightenings have been in force since 1 September 2018 and up to and including 30 April 2019. They apply to Germany and eight other target risk countries, including Italy, Russia, France and the USA. For Japan, the tenth high-risk country, only closer monitoring of ships was announced.

As the risk of the bug being introduced into Australia only exists in the European autumn months, there are exemptions for certain goods that were demonstrably produced after 1 December 2018 and for those that were transported to and stored in a non-risk country before 1 September 2018. For more information on import restrictions and lists of risk countries and products concerned, please visit the Department for Agriculture and Water Resources website at http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/before/brown-marmorated-stink-bugs.