Gardeners angry at new seed charges - The West Australian

The following article was published in today's West Australian newspaper. The link to the on-line article is here.

Gardeners angry at new seed charges

Sam Tomlin, The West Australian July 8, 2013, 8:52 am

Tevor Cochrane and other gardeners, angry at new seed charges.

 

Home gardeners across WA could be slugged more than $50 for a 15-minute inspection of seeds they order into the State under changes to WA's biosecurity laws.

 

The new rules allow the Department of Agriculture to charge seed importers $56 per quarter-hour for quarantine inspections.
The move has Perth gardeners up in arms, as previously only commercial growers were charged.

Horticulturalist Trevor Cochrane said the gardening community was shocked by the sudden change. "Given there's an estimated 250,000 packets of seeds brought into WA each year, that's a cost of around $14 million," Mr Cochrane said. "Home gardeners will be charged $56 for packets of seeds costing $2.50 to $3 each."

Imported seeds are checked by Customs. Mr Cochrane said this meant gardeners were being charged for double-handling by the department. He said the charges could also hit vulnerable members of the community heavily.
"The people who are hurt worst by this particular action are the people who can least afford it," he said. "Why should people in Perth pay this huge additional fee when no other place in Australia does it?"
Quarantine WA checks packages at mail and parcel centres, with individuals breaching restrictions facing fines of up to $5000.

The Department of Agriculture's border bio-security director Greg Pickles said invasive species in the Eastern States posed a real threat. "We need to keep the importance of WA biosecurity right up there - seeds are a risk," he said. "I acknowledge the concerns people have. We're really trying to minimise the costs to home gardeners."

Suppliers can enter into an arrangement with the department in which big shipments are assessed for a minimal charge of $39.50. "Our advice to importers is to contact their supplier and see if they're on, or planning to be on, a special charging arrangement," Mr Pickles said. "If they're not, then they should be looking for and contacting suppliers who are."

Mr Cochrane said a petition against the charges had more than 1000 signatures.

Picture: Gerald Moscarda/The West Australian