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Alerts

Proposed changes to the import conditions for synthetic material

Effective from 14 October 2016

The department is proposing to make changes to the import conditions for synthetic material. The key changes are:

  1. The addition of an information notice to clarify that the case covers derivatives of synthetic material, such as antigens.

  2. The removal of the end use restriction for animal food.

  3. The existing documentation requirements have been updated as follows:

“The goods must be synthetic.

To demonstrate compliance with this requirement you must present the following on a Manufacturer’s declaration, Supplier declaration, Invoice or Product label:

  1. A statement that the product does not contain any animal, human, microbial or plant derived ingredients; and

  2. A statement that the product is not, and does not code for, a disease agent. [Defined below]

This declaration is not required to be consignment specific provided that the declaration makes a clear reference to the product name”

The existing documentation requirement “that the product contains only ingredients of synthetic origin” will continue to be accepted in the transition period, until 31 December 2016.

Disease agent:

Includes, but is not limited to, a microorganism, an infectious agent and a parasite.

Infectious agent:

Includes any of the following:

(a) a virus;

(b) a prion;

(c) a plasmid;

(d) a viroid;

(e) genetic material coding for an infectious agent.

The department now invites comments from interested parties on the proposed conditions. Please provide any feedback or other information for consideration to ABIABImportConditionsReview@agriculture.gov.au by Friday 4 November 2016.

It is expected these changes will take effect later this year.

An updated BICON alert will be released when these changes take effect.

This Alert applies to the following Cases: