Alerts

From 30 September 2021, new import conditions will commence for high-risk plant products imported via all commercial pathways.

Who does this alert affect:
Importers of high-risk plant products and other 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?
To reduce the risk of khapra beetle entering Australia, new import conditions will apply to high-risk plant products exported on or after 30 September 2021. Import conditions will differ depending on the country of export.

Note: The new import conditions do not apply to seeds for sowing and goods that are imported for research purposes coming as low value freight (less than $1000).

Khapra beetle target risk countries:
High-risk plant products exported from khapra beetle target risk countries via sea and air freight will need to be treated offshore with an approved treatment option and inspected by a government official of the exporting country.

Approved treatment options are heat treatment, methyl bromide fumigation and modified atmosphere treatments. The goods must be treated within 21 days of export and accompanied by valid documentation.

In addition to a treatment certificate, the goods must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate certifying treatment requirements have been met and that the goods are free from all live species of Trogoderma.

Treatment and document requirements can be found on our website.

Note: Modified atmosphere treatments are a provisional option only. As such, an import permit is required. The goods must have an import permit before they arrive in Australia. Apply for an import permit through BICON.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the export of the container and/or the goods on arrival in Australia.

All other countries:
High-risk plant products exported from all other countries via sea and air freight will need to be inspected by a government official of the exporting country and certified as free from evidence of any species of Trogoderma that are of concern to Australia (the list of Trogoderma species of concern can be found on our website).

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the export of the container and/or the goods on arrival in Australia.

Linkage to khapra beetle requirements for sea containers:
The requirements for high-risk plant products commencing 30 September 2021 are in addition to the existing khapra beetle requirements for sea containers.

This will mean that if high-risk plant products are exported in an FCL/FCX sea container from a khapra beetle target risk country, both the plant products and the sea container itself will require offshore treatment. Unless using methyl bromide, the sea container must be treated when empty (i.e. before goods are packed into the container).

Import conditions and permits:
Prior to the commencement of these changes, BICON import conditions and associated import permits for impacted goods will be amended by the department to incorporate the revised conditions.

Other updates:
The high-risk plant products list on the website has been updated to exclude goods that are commercially processed to a powder, meal or flakes and packaged in bags less than or equal to 25kg (such as cereal flours like semolina, wheat flour, chilli flakes and ground spices).

Background:
These changes are considered necessary because:

• 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.
• High-risk plant products have been identified as hosts of khapra beetle and as such, a pathway for khapra beetle to enter Australia.
• If khapra beetle enters Australia it would have significant economic consequences. An outbreak could cost Australia $15.5 billion over 20 years through revenue losses arising from damaged grain in storage and exports.

Australia currently has biosecurity requirements in place for a range of products that could be infested with khapra beetle. However, we believe that the biosecurity requirements need to be expanded and strengthened to prevent a khapra beetle incursion.

Further information:
For further information, see:

• urgent actions to protect against khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium)
• sea container measures to protect against khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium)
• khapra beetle bulletin.

For:

• questions and information related directly to offshore khapra beetle treatments, please email offshoretreatments@agriculture.gov.au
• all other enquiries regarding these measures, please phone 1800 900 090 or email imports@awe.gov.au (please title the subject line of the email with ‘Plant Tier 2 – khapra urgent actions’).