Skip to Content

Alerts

Sea container measures to protect against khapra beetle

Effective from 5 March 2021

The purpose of this notification is to advise stakeholders that further information on the upcoming measures for sea containers under Phase 6A of the khapra beetle urgent actions is now available.

Khapra beetle is Australia’s number two National Priority Plant Pest (2019). It is not present in Australia and poses a major threat to Australia’s grains, rice and nut industries through production losses and potential impacts on international trade.

Who will be affected by these changes?
Stakeholders in the import and shipping industries—including vessel masters, freight forwarders, treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers, principal shipping agents, and any other operators in the sea container supply and logistics chain.

What is changing?
As notified in previous BICON alerts, Phase 6A of the khapra beetle urgent actions will commence from 12 April 2021. Phase 6A will introduce mandatory offshore treatment requirements for target risk sea containers.

To assist in preparing stakeholders for these changes, a specific web page outlining the sea container measures has been published. This web page can be accessed at: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/pests-diseases-weeds/plant/khapra-beetle/sea-container-measures

The web page includes updated and new information on the following components of the Phase 6A measures: 

  • Implementation dates
  • Treatment options, rates and requirements
  • Approved treatment providers
  • Treatment certification requirements
  • February 2021 information sessions

Please also note that while these measures will be commencing from 12 April 2021, start dates will now be staggered depending on the type of target risk container.

Note: Failure to comply with these requirements will result in export of the container upon arrival in Australia.

Type of target risk container

Implementation date

How to comply

Full Container Load (FCL)/Full Container Consolidated (FCX) container where high-risk plant products are packed into the sea container in a khapra beetle khapra beetle target risk country.

12 April 2021

(i.e. containers exported on or after 12 April 2021)

Containers must be treated offshore prior to packing* using an approved treatment option (methyl bromide, heat treatment or insecticide spray) and accompanied by a valid treatment certificate.

*Note: treatment of containers already loaded with goods is acceptable for methyl bromide treatment only.

Full Container Load (FCL)/Full Container Consolidated (FCX) where other goods are packed into the sea container in a khapra beetle khapra beetle target risk country and destined to a rural grain growing area of Australia.

Mid-2021

(we will advise of the implementation date as soon as possible)

Containers must be treated offshore (prior to packing*) using an approved treatment option (methyl bromide, heat treatment or insecticide spray) and accompanied by a valid treatment certificate.

*Note: treatment of containers already loaded with goods is acceptable for methyl bromide treatment only.

Import conditions and permits
BICON import conditions and associated import permits for high-risk plant products will be amended to incorporate the revised conditions.
The department will also notify import permit holders to initiate a variation to conditions of affected import permits.

Further information
For further information, see:

For:

  • questions and information related directly to offshore khapra beetle treatments, please email offshoretreatments@agriculture.gov.au.
  • all other enquiries regarding these measures, please email  imports@agriculture.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email with ‘Plant Tier 2 – khapra urgent actions’).

This Alert applies to the following Cases: