Devitalisation for Australia: the dip, the doses by flower, and the certificate wording
Australia alone, among the destinations on this site, requires Kenyan cut flowers to be chemically treated before export so that they cannot be propagated on arrival. The treatment is specific — one herbicide, doses that differ by genus, a timed immersion to a stated depth — and the certificate has to describe it. This page sets out the department's published requirements, genus by genus, and what happens to a consignment whose paperwork does not match.
One herbicide, calculated on the active ingredient
Glyphosate is the only herbicide approved as a dip treatment for devitalisation of cut flowers into Australia. Any glyphosate product may be used, and the dose is calculated on the active ingredient, not on the product — so a concentrate and a ready-mixed product reach the same figure by different arithmetic, and the figure on the certificate is the active-ingredient one.
The doses, by genus
| Genus | Active ingredient | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Rosa (rose), Hypericum, Viburnum, Viola | 5.4 g/L | 1.5% glyphosate |
| Dianthus (carnation), Chrysanthemum, Callistemon, Callistephus | 1.8 g/L | 0.5% glyphosate |
| Brunia, Calathea lancifolia | 0.9 g/L | 0.25% glyphosate |
Source: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, devitalisation treatment guide for cut flowers and foliage, read 25 September 2026.
The method is the same at every dose: a 20-minute immersion of stems to at least 35 cm from the cut end, or to within 5 cm of the flower head. Timing starts when the last bunch is in the solution, and flowers are not wrapped in plastic sleeves during treatment.
Read the table as a buyer of mixed boxes. Roses need three times the concentration carnations and chrysanthemums do. A consignment that combines them is not one treatment — it is either separate dips at the right dose for each genus, or the higher rate applied to everything, and which of those the exporter does is a question to settle before the first shipment, not after a hold in Melbourne. Hypericum sits at the rose rate; that is one of the facts that distinguishes it on its own product page.
Powdery mildew — and the line that names Kenya
Roses showing powdery mildew may also need fungicide treatment, and the guide is specific about when. It also carries one sentence a Kenyan buyer should know verbatim:
"Roses from Kenya are not required to undergo any treatment for powdery mildew."
Where fungicide is required, it must be the last treatment before export — applied after devitalisation, not before — and recorded on the phytosanitary certificate.
The certificate has to say what was done
Every consignment devitalised overseas must carry an original phytosanitary certificate describing how it was treated — the concentration of glyphosate, the duration and the dipping method. The required additional declarations are set out in BICON, the department's import conditions database. What a certificate must carry, field by field, on every lane this site covers →
The consequence of getting this wrong is stated plainly by the department: consignments arriving without the correct documentation and endorsements will require treatment in Australia, export, or destruction. For a product with a working life measured in days, the first of those is a delay, and the other two are the consignment.
The standing instruction, which is the department's, not ours
Treatments are subject to change and should always be verified by searching BICON. The requirements are recorded by the department as under review. This page states them as published on the date read; the day it matters, the date on the certificate has to match the conditions in BICON on that day, and the permit and BICON page on this site sets out how the database is used and what else it decides.
What to ask
- Who performs the dip, at what active-ingredient dose per genus, and how is a mixed consignment handled?
- Does the certificate state the concentration, the duration and the dipping method? Not "devitalised" — the three facts.
- Has BICON been checked for the current conditions on the date of certification?
What this page is, and is not
This is a statement of published requirements, with the date each was read. It is not a treatment instruction, not a biosecurity determination and not a claim that any exporter performs any of it. The department administers import conditions case by case through BICON, and BICON on the day of shipment is the authority.
Ready to specify a requirement?
If you can state the product, stem length, head size, quantity, frequency and destination, we can give you a useful answer. If you cannot yet, say so on the form — every technical field has an “I don’t know yet, please advise” option.
Last verified 25 September 2026
Sources
-
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry — Devitalisation treatment of cut flowers and foliage
What we read
Glyphosate as the only approved dip; doses by genus calculated on active ingredient - 5.4 g/L (1.5%) for Rosa, Hypericum, Viburnum, Viola; 1.8 g/L (0.5%) for Dianthus, Chrysanthemum, Callistemon, Callistephus; 0.9 g/L (0.25%) for Brunia and Calathea lancifolia; the 20-minute immersion to at least 35 cm or within 5 cm of the head; timing and sleeving rules; powdery mildew and the statement that roses from Kenya are not required to be treated for it; fungicide as the last treatment; the certificate's required description of concentration, duration and dipping method; the consequence of incorrect documentation; the instruction to verify in BICON and the note that requirements are under review.