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A biosecurity investigation is underway after a Bunnings customer found a suspected rice plant in a broom imported from China.
In a social media post, the customer said he found the plant in a straw broom and alerted both the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Bunnings.
Bunnings has since removed the product from sale and is in contact with the authorities.
“We take our commitment to biosecurity very seriously and work with our suppliers and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to ensure our products meet all relevant biosecurity and import regulations,” a Bunnings spokesperson said.
“As soon as we became aware of these concerns, and out of an abundance of caution, we removed the brooms from sale while we investigate with our two Millett broom suppliers and the quarantine regulator.”
Bunnings added that all appropriate biosecurity measures were taken when importing the product.
“We strictly adhere to biosecurity requirements for all imported products and can confirm that the product has undergone heat treatment at high temperatures for 24 hours and fumigation with methyl bromide to ensure that any remaining inoculum cannot germinate,” the spokesperson said.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is investigating the report of “millet brooms containing rice seeds being sold in hardware stores in Australia”.
“We are working with the retailer to ensure the goods are secured while the investigation continues.
“We are in the process of checking whether the brooms have been treated appropriately to mitigate any biosecurity risk or whether they require further treatment.
“Contaminated seeds can represent a potential route for the introduction of plant pathogens. Our import conditions manage these risks by applying import requirements that require biosecurity processing.’
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