2 August 2023
Who does this notice affect?
This notice affects industry (importers of culture media from the USA) and biosecurity officers.
What has changed?
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) has recently concluded negotiations with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding government certifications for bulk culture media products imported to Australia.
This new government certification will help provide the department with the necessary assurance that the biosecurity risk presented by the culture media supply chain has been managed and meets Australia’s Appropriate Level of Protection.
New government certification wording:
I, the undersigned, full time, salaried veterinarian of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) after due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge, do hereby certify that the product described above:
- Was produced from bovines slaughtered in and/or residing in the United States and/or Australia and/or <insert country name (s)> which is/are included on Australia’s FMD-Free Country List; AND/OR;
- Was produced from porcines slaughtered in and/or residing in the United States and/or Australia and/or <insert country name (s)> which is/are included on Australia’s FMD-Free Country List.
What happens next?
Most Australian culture media importers have already been issued with short term temporary import permits to facilitate the continued import of these goods whilst the negotiations were underway.
The department is now in the process of phasing in the new government certification requirements to all new culture media import permits. This change will be implemented in a staged approach as the temporary import permits expire.
What about goods arriving at the border?
The department is aware that importers with temporary culture media import permits may:
- still be using the old government certification wording; OR
- already be using the new government certification wording, which now no longer aligns with the wording on their temporary import permit.
Importers who are still using a temporary import permit to import culture media into Australia may use either the old or the new government certificate wording until they are issued with their new import permit.
Note that once the temporary import permit expires and the importer is issued with a new import permit, the department will only be accepting the new government certification wording.
Further information
Please contact the Laboratory and Human Tissues Program on 1800 900 090 or email imports@aff.gov.au for more information