IFN 04-22 - New certification arrangement for raw milk cheese imported from the United Kingdom

Date of effect: 20 July 2022

Attention

Cheese importers

Purpose

To advise cheese importers of a certification arrangement signed with the United Kingdom for the export of raw milk cheese to Australia.

Key points

• A foreign government certificate for the import of raw milk cheese has been negotiated with the government of the United Kingdom.
• From 20 July 2022 twelve kinds of raw milk cheese can be imported with the new recognised foreign government certificate:
  1. Appleby’s Cheshire
  2. Appleby’s Double Gloucester
  3. Hafod
  4. Isle of Mull
  5. Keen’s Cheddar
  6. Kirkham’s Lancashire
  7. Lincolnshire Poacher
  8. Montgomery’s Cheddar
  9. Sparkenhoe Red Leicester
  10. St Andrew’s Anster
  11. St Andrew’s Cheddar
  12. Westcombe Cheddar

• Foreign government certificates are consignment specific and cover both biosecurity and imported food requirements and must be issued by the recognised competent authority.
• Check BICON for biosecurity import conditions as an import permit is also required.

Instructions

1. Your consignment-specific certificate for these raw milk cheeses must be issued by the:
   • national competent authority, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
     
     with
      
   • certificate title: Export of Raw Milk Cheese to Australia Health Certificate.
2. Use ICS document code, RMCHCUK when lodging your entry in the Integrated Cargo System.
3. Imported Food Inspection Scheme (IFIS) importer declarations are not required for raw milk cheese imported with the recognised foreign government certificate.
4. Learn more about import requirements for raw milk cheese and foreign government certification.

Background

The department has assessed and determined that the United Kingdom’s systems for controlling food safety risks associated with the production of these raw milk cheeses provides an equivalent food safety outcome to Australia’s.

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