5 October 2022
Who does this notice affect?
Importers of mushrooms and truffles for human consumption and spawn, cultures, and fruiting bodies for propagation.
Summary of changes
The department has completed a review of import policy for mushrooms and truffles for human consumption and spawn, cultures, and fruiting bodies for propagation. The review [www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/import/industry-advice/2022/100-2022] considered:
- permitted and prohibited species
- country of origin differences
- target and hitchhiker pests
- substrates approved for use
- sterilisation requirements.
Outcomes of the review included:
- Addition of several species of mushrooms to the permitted species list for both consumption and propagation
- Updating naming with current taxonomy
- Extension of existing permitted mushrooms for consumption and propagation to include all countries (except Agaricus sp. which remains permitted from New Zealand only)
- Merging of the wild harvested and commercially produced cases
- Simplification of additional declarations for commercially produced mushrooms for consumption
- Minor formatting changes to the BICON case structures to create consistency across the pathway
- Updating the dried and medicinal mushroom cases to reflect newly permitted species.
Note: The changes will be reflected in import permits, and the department will contact all affected importers directly to discuss options and allow a transition period for the additional declarations.
Further updates regarding specific changes will be provided in a BICON Alert.
Further information
For further information, please contact the horticulture imports section on 1800 900 090 or by email at imports@aff.gov.au.