16 September 2019
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to clients, brokers and agents who import rice for human consumption.
What has changed?
The Department of Agriculture (the department) has recently reviewed the biosecurity inspection procedures for non-viable rice to ensure that the procedures remain current and effective in detecting and managing high priority biosecurity risks such as Khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium).
As a result of the review, the department has made the following changes to risk mitigation measures managing rice consignments:
- For rice consignments processed via an Approved Arrangement under the AEPCOMM scheme, brokers or agents must present all required documentation to the Department of Agriculture as part of the import procedure at the time of inspection.
- During inspection biosecurity officers will be required to remove sufficient rice from each sample unit in order to conduct a thorough inspection. This procedure applies to all sample units including those that are less than 5kg per unit and packaged in clear and transparent material.
Further information
For additional information you can email Plant Import Operations Branch at Imports@aff.gov.au or phone 1800 900 090.