Changes

Import conditions for the Canadian Green Sawn Wood Certification Program (CGSWCP) have now been published and can be found within the Timber and timber products and Logs, log cabins and oversized timber BICON cases.

When lodging entries under the CGSWCP, Customs Brokers will need to add an AEI code (AQIS Entity Identifier) identifying the accredited mill that produced the sawn green timber. These codes allow tracing of the consignments for reporting purposes stipulated under the bilateral arrangement. The AEI codes are available in the appendices of the relevant timber BICON cases.

Importers and brokers should review the relevant timber BICON cases for specific import conditions and certification requirements.

Who does this notice affect:
Importers and brokers of green sawn timber exported from Canada.

Background:
The Australian Department of Agriculture and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have entered into a bilateral arrangement that allows green sawn timber produced under the CGSWCP to be imported into Australia. The CGSWCP is a replacement for the Canadian Accredited Timber Scheme (CATS). The CGSWCP covers both containerised and break-bulk consignments of green sawn timber of the following species:

• Abies spp. (fir)
  

• Chamaecyparis spp. (yellow cedar)
  

• Picea spp. (spruce)
  

• Pinus spp. (pine)
  

• Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir)
  

• Thuja spp. (western red cedar)
  

• Tsuga spp. (hemlock)
  

• Larix spp. (western larch and tamarack)
  

• Populus spp. (aspen)
  

The CGSWCP is a systems approach that mitigates the risk of forest and timber pests being present in green sawn timber. Green sawn timber arriving with the appropriate CGSWCP certification and meeting all other import conditions in BICON will not need further commodity-based biosecurity intervention onshore in Australia.

To become a registered sawmill under the CGSWCP, please refer to the D-17-04: Canadian Green Sawn Wood Certification Program available from the CFIA website (https://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plant-pests-invasive-species/directives/date/d-17-04/eng/1546882362007/1546882362522)

Further information:
Please contact Plant Import Operations on 1800 900 090 or email imports@agriculture.gov.au.