Alerts
Flexible approach to assigning validity periods to import permits of selected commodities
Effective from 3 July 2023The Plant Import Operations Branch (PIO) is taking a more flexible approach when assigning validity periods to import permits for goods for the following categories of commodities;
- Birdseed
- Various seeds and grains for human consumption
- Plant products not for human consumption
- Timber and manufactured wooden goods
- Plant based stockfeed
- Plant based fertilisers
- Plant based pet foods
- Bioremediation agents and baits
- Coir peat
Building on changes already made to risk assessment processes for other products managed by the department.
The department has always considered validity periods commensurate to the risk of the product, ranging from single use permits to multiple use permits with a maximum 2 year validity period. However, the department may now consider a validity period up to 4 years for these goods, subject to the usual assessment procedure.
Who does this alert affect:
Importers of plant-based goods for human consumption, not for human consumption, environmental or animal feed end uses (e.g. bioremediation agents, fertilisers, stockfeed, pet food, herbicides, baits) that submit a permit application to PIO only.
Background:
PIO has continued the review of business practices relating to permit validity periods. A more flexible approach is now being adopted for the above goods,
PIO biosecurity officers may 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 plant origin included in products exported to Australia?
- 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 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 PIO assessment process has commenced and will be applied to permit applications effective immediately.
Further information:
Contact PIO through the department’s BIST on 1800 900 090 or imports@agriculture.gov.au.
This Alert applies to the following Cases:
- Geotextiles for bioremediation
- Bioremediation products
- Cork and cork products
- Dried or preserved flowers and foliage
- Dried Tillandsia spp.
- Poppy straw (Papaver somniferum) for processing
- Logs, log cabins and oversize timber
- Plant derived charcoal, wood pellets, briquettes and firewood
- Plant products for ceremonial and exhibition use
- Permitted plant fibres
- Sawdust and woodchips
- Processed and dried hops for human consumption and processing
- Fertilisers
- Wooden manufactured articles containing bark
- Articles stuffed with dried herbs or seed
- Regulated vegetable crop seeds for human consumption
- Timber and timber products imported from New Zealand during Burnt Pine Longicorn (BPL) flight season
- Hemp seed and hemp products
- Timber and timber products
- Celery seed for human consumption
- Chickpeas for human consumption
- Linseed for human consumption
- Fennel seed for human consumption
- Whole lentils for human consumption
- Sunflower kernel or seed for human consumption
- Stockfeed, stockfeed ingredients and stockfeed additives
- Aquaculture feed and aquatic meals
- Bean seed for human consumption
- Whole dried peas for human consumption
- Pet food, pet food ingredients, and supplements for companion animals
- Soybeans (excluding frozen) for human consumption
- Millet for human consumption
- Sesame seed for human consumption
- Ground or whole peppercorns and pepper for human consumption
- Papaver somniferum seed for human consumption