Changes

The department has updated the content of the ‘Herbicides, insecticides, pesticides and other goods for environmental or industrial purposes’ BICON case to include a pathway for ‘Goods containing approved ingredients of biological origin only’.

Importers are now able to apply for an import permit for these goods using a standard import permit pathway. The standard pathway includes conditions requiring manufacturers to verify that:

• the final product contains no ingredients of animal/plant origin or the only ingredients of animal/plant origin contained in the final product are listed in the list of approved ingredients for goods with an environmental end use.
• the product contains no whole seeds or viable plant material.
• no viable microorganisms are present as an ingredient in the final product.
• the final product contains no ingredients that are minerals or metal ores (including rocks and sand) or the minerals/metal ores that are present in the final product are clean and free of extraneous materials.
• the product exported to Australia has been packaged in new and clean containers or bags only; or
  [If the product is exported to Australia in re-used containers e.g. ISO tanks, pallecons, IBC’s]
  The product exported to Australia is transported in re-used containers and a container cleanliness certificate is provided for this consignment.
• the product has been protected from post-processing contamination.
• the manufacturer operates according to appropriate standards of quality management [e.g. ISO 9001:2015, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)] applicable to the production of goods for environmental/industrial use, including appropriate standards for prevention of cross-contamination, maintenance of batch production records, and quality control

These conditions mitigate biosecurity risks associated with these goods to a level consistent with Australia’s Appropriate Level of Protection (as defined under the Biosecurity Act 2015).

Importers are still able to submit their permit application for these goods using a non-standard permit pathway.

Who does this alert affect:
Departmental staff and Australian importers of herbicides, insecticides, pesticides and other goods for environmental or industrial purposes.

Further information:
Please contact the department on 1800 900 090 (prompt 1, prompt 1) or via email at imports@agriculture.gov.au.