8 November 2017
Who does this notice affect?
The department advises importers and customs brokers that revised conditions for fresh coconuts for human consumption will take effect from 11 December 2017.
Changes to import conditions include:
Removal of additional declaration requirements for immature coconuts from the Philippines
- As immature coconuts do not provide a likely pathway for establishment of cadang-cadang, this additional declaration will be removed as a phytosanitary requirement for immature coconuts from the Philippines.
Fumigation requirement for coconuts with husk intact
- Mature coconuts from all countries must now either have husk removed pre-shipment, or be fumigated with methyl bromide (at the rate of 32g m³ for 24 hours at 21°C at normal atmospheric pressure) either pre-shipment or onshore.
Note: Prayer nuts (coconuts with a cone of husk) and immature coconuts are still exempt from mandatory fumigation, but may be fumigated if pests are found at on-arrival inspection.
Changes to the sampling procedure for on-arrival inspections of mature coconuts and coconut meat
- Mature coconuts will be subject to a full unpack in order to draw a representative inspection sample of 600 coconuts from across the entire consignment. These changes are to ensure biosecurity risks are adequately managed and align the coconut sampling and inspection procedures with those of other fresh produce imports.
- Fresh coconut meat products will now be subject to the same sampling rates as other semi-processed fruit sampling rates (i.e. 600 unit inspection for consignments greater than 1000 units).
Changes to the BICON case
- The current country pathway splits for fresh mature coconuts will be consolidated into a single case covering all countries.
- The BICON case content will be streamlined and undergo some minor reformatting; however this should not have any significant impact on imports.
All other import conditions in the Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system will continue to apply, including the requirement for all shipments to be inspected on arrival in Australia. If live pests of biosecurity concern are found during the inspection, the department will provide importers/customs brokers with options to manage the risk.
Importers are reminded of their responsibility to ensure that imported consignments meet Australia’s import requirements, including freedom from pests of biosecurity concern.
Further information
As part of a systematic review of all Australia’s import conditions, the department recently reviewed fresh coconuts for human consumption imports from all countries.
Further information about the import conditions review is located on the department's
website.
Inquiries about the review can be directed to: Plant ICR.
This Notice applies to the following Case: Fresh coconut