Import Conditions

Case: Kava powder Effective 01 Aug 2015 to 02 Aug 2015

1. A Department of Agriculture import permit is not required.

2. The importation of Kava is prohibited under the Customs (prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 unless the person importing the material is the holder of an import licence granted by the Australian Government Department of Health, or meets the requirements set out by the Department of Health for importing Kava without a permit.

Warnings and Information Notices


Below is a list of those plant/fungus species and plant products that are prohibited under Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 as at September 30 2010.  This list is provided for information only and is subject to change.  Refer to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service website for current details.



Plants, parts of plants and seeds prohibited under Customs regulations:


1. Argyreia nervosa
   

2. Cannabis sativa (Marijuana) - Cannabis and cannabis resin
   

3. Catha edulis (Khat)
   

4. Erythroxylonspp. (Cocaine)
   

5. Ipomoea hederacea
   

6. Ipomoea tricolor
   

7. Ipomoea violacea
   

8. Lophophora spp. - Any species of this genus
   

9. Papaver bracteatum
   

10. Nicotiana tabacum (Raw and sun-dried)
    

11. Papaver sominferum (Opium poppy)
    

12. Piper methysticum (Kava)
    

13. Piptadenia peregrina (Anadenanthera peregrina)
    

14. Rivea corymbosa
    
    

Fungi and plant products prohibited under Customs regulations:


1. Chewing tobacco and snuff intended for oral use, imported in an amount weighing more than 1.5 kilograms
   

2. Fungi that contain psilocine or psilocybine.
   

3. Certain species of plants/fungi and plant products contain drugs or precursors of drugs that are prohibited under Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956. 

4. Any plants (or parts of plants, including seeds), fungi (or parts of fungi), and plant products that are prohibited under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 that are found by quarantine officers will be referred to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.

5. Each consignment must be packaged in clean, new packaging and free of biosecurity risk material such as live insects.

6. All consignments must be inspected upon arrival to ensure that they are free of contamination and/or infestation by extraneous materials.

7. If contaminants (e.g. seeds, trash, soil, feathers) are detected and determined to be of quarantine concern, the consignment will require remedial action to remove or treat the contaminants. If the contaminants cannot be effectively removed or treated, the consignment must be exported or destroyed.

8. Once biosecurity requirements have been met, it is the importer's responsibility to ensure that all imported food complies with the Imported Food Control Act 1992.

Warnings and Information Notices


The standards for labelling and composition of all food sold in Australia are set down in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.


It is the responsibility of the importer to comply with the Act and ensure imported food meets the requirements of the Food Standards Code and any other relevant Australian standards or requirements.


The Department of Agriculture monitors food safety hazards and compliance with the Food Standards Code by means of the Imported Food Inspection Scheme. The website provides information on how food is referred to the scheme.


Under the scheme the food may be held for inspection and testing. The inspection will involve a visual and label assessment and may also include sampling the food for testing.


All imported food is considered 'surveillance'. The tests that apply to surveillance food are detailed in Tests applied to surveillance food.


9. Under the Quarantine Service Fees Determination 2005, fees are payable to the Department of Agriculture for all services. A list of all quarantine & export fees is available on the Department of Agriculture's website.

10. Non-commodity information requirements for imported cargo also apply, please refer to the BICON case Non-Commodity Cargo Clearance.

Warnings and Information Notices


Containers, timber packing, pallets or dunnage associated with the consignment will be subject to inspection and treatment on arrival, unless certified as having been treated by a Department of Agriculture approved method.


All documentation presented to the Department to assist in determining the level of biosecurity risk posed by transportation pathways and packaging must also meet the requirements of the non-commodity case.