While many of us enjoy online shopping, you may not know the packages you order from around the world could carry pests or diseases that pose a serious risk to Australia.
Biosecurity is a shared responsibility, we can all help to ensure our environment, industries, plant, animal and human health are safeguarded.
We recently ran an online campaign to educate Australian shoppers about the risks of buying goods from international sellers on the internet. This includes gardeners looking for seeds and plants, pet owners treating their best mates to specialty products, or foodies purchasing international food products.
Our campaign helped to raise awareness about what is allowed to be brought into Australia and the precautions you need to take while online shopping.
In 2023, we intercepted more than 50,000 biosecurity risk items in international mail including plant, seed, meat and other animal products.
Across Australian international mail centres we have biosecurity officers, detector dogs and X-rays to help us intercept articles that may contain biosecurity risk material. There are also strict import conditions for certain goods such as:
- animals and animal products
- meat products including animal treats
- seeds, live plants and plant material.
Before you make a purchase from overseas, check our website to make sure that your item is allowed into Australia, and that it meets the latest import conditions.
