Alerts
New BICON case for khapra beetle sea container measures
Effective from 9 April 2021Import conditions for the khapra beetle sea container measures will commence from 12 April 2021.
All FCL/FCX sea containers where high-risk plant products are packed into the sea container in a khapra beetle target risk country will need to be treated offshore using a department approved treatment option (methyl bromide, heat treatment or insecticide spray).
These sea container import conditions must be complied with in addition to complying with other import conditions e.g. for commodities held within the container. Affected BICON commodity and permit conditions have been updated to include linkage to the new BICON case ‘Khapra beetle sea container measures’.
Further changes to the importation of sea containers and commodities will be implemented later this year. Additional BICON alerts will be issued when this occurs.
Who does this alert affect:
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.
Background:
Khapra beetle is a significant threat to Australian plant industries, including the grain export industry. Khapra beetle destroys grain quality making it unfit for human or animal consumption. Stored products also become contaminated with beetles, cast skins and hairs from larvae, which can be a human health risk.
Australia currently has biosecurity requirements for many products that could be infested with khapra beetle. However, considering the emerging khapra risk associated with imported shipping containers, the department believes that the biosecurity requirements need to be expanded and strengthened to prevent a khapra beetle incursion.
Further information:
For further information, see:
- Sea container measures to protect against khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium)
- Urgent actions to protect against khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium)
For questions and information related directly to offshore khapra beetle treatments, please email offshoretreatments@agriculture.gov.au.
All other enquiries regarding these measures should be emailed to imports@awe.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email with ‘Plant Tier 2 – khapra urgent actions’).
This Alert applies to the following Cases:
- Processed grain and seed products for human consumption
- Soybeans (excluding frozen) for human consumption
- Rice for human consumption or processing
- Bean seed for human consumption
- Whole dried peas for human consumption
- Celery seed for human consumption
- Khapra beetle sea container measures
- Phaseolus spp. seed for sowing
- Birdseed
- Pea seed for sowing
- Articles stuffed with dried herbs or seed
- Chickpeas for human consumption
- Powdered herbs for human consumption
- Whole lentils for human consumption
- Fennel seed for human consumption
- Cucurbit seed for human consumption
- Apium graveolens seed for sowing
- Cucumis melo seed for sowing
- Coriander seed for human consumption
- Cumin seed for human consumption
- Citrullus lanatus seed for sowing
- Cucumis sativus seed for sowing
- Coriandrum sativum seed for sowing
- Cuminum cyminum seed for sowing
- Cucurbita maxima seed for sowing
- Cucurbita moschata seed for sowing
- Unrestricted cucurbitaceous seed for sowing
- Foeniculum vulgare seed for sowing
- Cucurbita pepo seed for sowing
- Peanuts for human consumption or processing
- Pelted wheat for human consumption
- Split legumes for human consumption
- Dried vegetables for human consumption
- Non-Commodity Cargo Clearance