KVH is pleased with recent news that eBay has informed Biosecurity New Zealand it will no longer allow the sale of plants, seeds, and bulbs to New Zealand-based customers – blocking a significant entry pathway for biosecurity threats.

Initially, the e-commerce giant considered imposing restrictions on 10 to 20 items, but after obtaining more information, decided to restrict New Zealand-based customers from purchasing any plants, seeds or bulbs.

eBay has established similar restrictions for its Australian customers and says it is committed to biosecurity and is eager to continue collaborating with officials, including sharing data on trends and insights.

The move is the result of recent engagement between Biosecurity New Zealand and e-commerce providers under a project to address the biosecurity risk from imported goods purchased online.

A key focus has been to work with the various platforms to stop the supply of non-compliant goods. This has involved building relationships with platforms to develop a better understanding of requirements. There is already a strong relationship with Trade Me and recently officials rekindled relationships with the Alibaba group and other large international platforms, including eBay, Amazon, Wish, and Etsy.

As kiwifruit growers know, seeds and plants purchased online pose significant biosecurity risk. They are often incorrectly declared, may not be what the website claims them to be, or arrive with insufficient information to meet entry requirements.

KVH always recommends purchasing seeds and plants from reputable companies rather than buying online from unknown suppliers who may not be aware of, or are unable to meet, New Zealand’s strict biosecurity requirements.