New Zealand Raises Stink About Pest Aboard U.S. Cars

New Zealand is requiring all imports of new and used vehicles from the U.S. to be heat-treated or fumigated with methyl bromide before being shipped to the country.

The Ministry for Primary Industries says the treatment requirements, which also apply to machinery, boats and parts imported from the U.S., are intended to help keep the brown marmorated stink bug out of New Zealand.

Ministry Biosecurity and Environment Manager Paul Hallett says until now, new vehicles were assessed on arrival by quarantine officers and only those considered to be high risk were treated.

“We’ve been ramping up our efforts to combat the brown marmorated stink bug, but the main driver for the strong new rules has been the recent frequent discoveries of stink-bug infestations in new vehicles and machinery consignments from the U.S.,” Hallett says in a statement.

He says there may be a delay before suitable treatment facilities are established in the U.S. and as an interim measure, the ministry is working with industry to help establish treatment options for vessels on the water before landing and, as a last resort, on the wharf at Auckland on arrival in New Zealand.

“We are working closely with importers and treatment suppliers to ensure imported vehicles can receive biosecurity clearance where possible, although, if there are no suitable decontamination options, non-compliant vehicles may have to be turned away,” Hallett says.

Brown marmorated stink bug is an agricultural pest found in Asia, notably China, Japan, and the Korea peninsula. It has aggressively invaded the U.S, and the ministry says it could successfully establish in New Zealand.

That worries officials because New Zealand is a major agricultural producer and the bug is a voracious feeder and almost any crop can be at risk, including citrus, apples, stone fruits, pears, berries, grapes, asparagus, soybeans, corn, honeysuckle, maple, butterfly bush, cypress, hibiscus and roses.

The bug, now also found in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and France, severely disfigures fruits and renders them unmarketable, resulting in control costs and production impacts. It is listed by the New Zealand horticulture industry as one of the top six pests of concern.