15 May 2020
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to importers of uncooked prawns and associated industry participants and retailers.
What has changed?
This notice is to inform industry that the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is changing the import requirements for uncooked prawns from approved countries.
The new import conditions require that all uncooked prawns imported for human consumption must be deveined. Deveining requires removal of the digestive tract that remains along the dorsal ridge of each prawn to at least the last shell segment.
This change is to mitigate the biosecurity risk associated with Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP). Further information is available in Animal Biosecurity Advice 2020-A03 – Interim import conditions for uncooked prawns and prawn products imported for human consumption into Australia.
The department will soon contact import permit holders individually to advise them of the impacts of these changes on their import permits.
The department is also writing to trading partners to arrange updated health certification for uncooked prawns. The department will provide further advice to industry as trading partners provide updated health certification that complies with the new import conditions.
Note: All imports of uncooked prawns (including marinated) arriving on or after 1 July 2020 must be deveined to manage the biosecurity risks associated with EHP. All non-compliant consignments must be treated to manage biosecurity risks, exported or destroyed.
Contact information:
If you require further information please call 1800 900 090 or email Imports.
Biosecurity import conditions are available on the department’s Biosecurity Import Conditions database (BICON).