Alerts

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has been notified of an overseas company offering free samples of foetal bovine serum (FBS) to Australian consumers as part of a promotional activity.

Australia maintains a disease-free status for a number of high-risk cattle diseases, such as foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease. The introduction of one or more of these diseases would have significant consequences for Australia’s beef and dairy cattle industries, along with impacts on tourism and trade. As a potential source of these diseases, FBS requires a biosecurity import permit prior to importation into Australia to provide the department with assurance of the sourcing and processing of the FBS and to ensure the animal biosecurity risks are adequately managed to meet Australia’s Appropriate Level of Protection.

This alert is to advise importers that they are legally responsible for ensuring all imported goods meet Australia’s strict biosecurity requirements. This includes goods that have been obtained for free either as part of a trial or for promotional activities. If you are unsure whether your goods require an import permit, you can search for them in the department’s Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON).

Note that goods that do not meet biosecurity import requirements may be exported or destroyed at the importer’s expense.

Who does this alert affect:
Importers of foetal bovine serum (FBS) and Pathway Operations Cargo – Assessment and Inspection.

Further information:
Please contact the Laboratory and Human Tissues Program on 1800 900 090 or email imports@agriculture.gov.au.