Risk Background

Dry pet food products are often combinations of ingredients of animal, microbiological and/or plant origin which cannot be easily determined when the products are examined at entry. These ingredients and products include plants, plant meals, meat meals, fish meals, milk products, blood and blood components, and fermentation products. Such material can be contaminated with, or contain a variety of exotic and endemic pathogens and must undergo individual assessments. As these products will be exposed directly to animals they pose a significant biosecurity risk. The biosecurity risk is compounded as pets are usually fed in the open with birds and native animals having access to leftover food.