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Alerts

Permit validity periods for environmental goods (e.g. bioremediation agents, fertilisers, baits)

Effective from 19 February 2022

The Animal and Biological Imports Branch (ABIB) is taking a more flexible approach when assigning validity periods to import permits for goods for environmental or industrial purposes. The decision regarding the permit validity period for these goods will form another outcome of the biosecurity risk assessment process.

This builds on changes already made to risk assessment processes for ‘Pet food’ and ‘Veterinary therapeutics and medicines’.

Who does this alert affect:
Importers of goods for environmental or industrial purposes (e.g. bioremediation agents, cleaning agents, fertilisers, herbicides, baits) that submit a permit application to the ABIB only.

Background:
Historically, the ABIB has issued most permits for these goods with a 2 year validity period.

ABIB has continued the review of business practices relating to permit validity periods. A more flexible approach is now being adopted for goods for environmental or industrial purposes with permits potentially being issued that are active for shorter or longer periods.

ABIB biosecurity officers will take the following criteria into consideration when assigning a validity period to a particular permit:

  • Has the applicant presented evidence of a history of compliant importation and safe use of a particular product in Australia?
  • Is there a level of certainty that conditions of manufacture related to biosecurity risk will not change over time e.g. a static list of ingredients of biological origin included in products exported to Australia?
  • Does the overseas manufacturer adhere to systems of quality which ensure that a safe product is reliably produced and exported to Australia?

If a favourable assessment is made for all these criteria, then it is possible that permits will be issued for specific goods with a validity period that is longer than 2 years.

This modified ABIB assessment process has commenced and will be applied to permit applications received from 21 February 2022.

Further information:
Contact the ABIB through the department’s Client Contact Group in Canberra on 1800 900 090 or imports@awe.gov.au.

This Alert applies to the following Cases: