Australia has suspended imports of fresh pomelo from Vietnam for an initial six months after pest and disease symptoms were found on some consignments, ABC News Australia reports. The suspension took effect at 12:01am on September 15, 2026, only months after the trade began.
Trade in Vietnamese pomelo started in April after years of reported negotiations. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry suspended the imports after identifying symptoms associated with exotic pests and diseases. According to ABC News Australia, an in-country audit conducted by the department in August found that systems and processes used for Vietnamese exports did not comply with the relevant trade agreement.
Citrus Australia welcomed the decision. Chief executive Nathan Hancock said the organisation had sought an audit since the first shipments entered the country and described the suspension as evidence that Australia’s biosecurity system was functioning. Hancock said the department had not specified which pests and diseases were detected, but growers had been reassured that Huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening disease, and citrus canker were not found.
Hancock said the detection of other pests and diseases nevertheless indicated that agreed protocols and processes under the work plan had not been met. Citrus Australia had previously made submissions during the market-access risk assessment and expressed disappointment with the approach taken to those submissions, according to ABC News Australia.
The Australian citrus industry was valued at $1.2 billion in 2025, making it the country’s most valuable fruit-production sector, the report says. Although pomelo trees are grown in small numbers in Australia, industry representatives said pests or diseases introduced from overseas could affect the broader citrus industry.
Darren Minter, an orange grower in the Sunraysia region, said the decision to allow Vietnamese pomelo imports had been controversial among growers. He told ABC News Australia that biosecurity was one of his biggest concerns and that an introduced pest could impose significant costs on producers. The suspension is scheduled to remain in force for six months initially.