file no: 99/3404
23 May 2000
Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Camelids from Peru and Chile
This Animal Quarantine Policy Memorandum (AQPM) provides revised conditions for the importation of camelids from Peru and Chile. The appeal period closes on 19 June 2000.
Under the import risk analysis (IRA) procedures the Executive Director of AQIS has considered the final IRA report and agreed to the requirements set out in the attached conditions for the importation of camelids from Chile and Peru (Attachment A).
Proposed quarantine requirements for the importation of camelids (alpacas and llamas) from South American countries were circulated from comment as AQPM 1998/82 on 6 November 1998. These proposed conditions included the risk management procedures identified in the risk assessment circulated in March 1998.
The proposed conditions attracted much comment. Thirty submissions were received, eleven of which supported the proposed conditions without amendment. The comments, suggestions and proposed amendments in the other 19 submissions are summarised at ttachment B.
The proposed conditions were discussed by Quarantine and Animal Health Task Force (QAHTF) of National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) on 7 December 1999 and members raised several concerns about the proposed conditions which were addressed by AQIS in a letter to NFF on 3 January. These concerns and the AQIS response to each are listed at Attachment C.
Next Steps
This AQPM advises the final conditions endorsed by the Executive Director of AQIS.
This IRA has been conducted in accordance with the routine process as described in the AQIS Import Risk Analysis Process Handbook. This process provides an opportunity for appeal to the Director of Quarantine. A stakeholder of the opinion that the process outlined in the Handbook has not been properly followed may appeal against perceived deficiencies in the consultative process used or a perceived failure by AQIS to consider a significant body of relevant scientific or technical information. There is no opportunity for appeal against the adequacy of the scientific evidence used by AQIS, the reasonableness of AQIS’s scientific judgment, or AQIS’s interpretation and application of the Government’s policy on Australia’s appropriate level of protection (ALOP).
Information on appeals is made public.
Appeals should be sent to:
Mr Michael Taylor
Secretary
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia
GPO Box 858
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Appeals should be received by close of business on 19 June 2000. If there are no appeals, the attached conditions will be adopted on 26 June 2000. AQIS will issue a further AQPM advising adoption or, alternatively, that an appeal has been received. All inquires should be directed to the officer whose contact details appear below.
Confidentiality
Respondents are advised that, subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1982, all submissions received in response to Animal Quarantine Policy Memoranda will be publicly available and may be listed or referred to in any papers or reports prepared on the subject matter of the Memoranda.
The Commonwealth reserves the right to reveal the identity of a respondent unless a request for anonymity accompanies the submission. Where a request for anonymity does not accompany the submission the respondent will be taken to have consented to the disclosure of his or her identity for the purposes of Information Privacy Principle 11 of the Privacy Act.
The contents of the submission will not be treated as confidential unless they are marked ‘confidential’ and they are capable of being classified as such in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.
Thank you for your assistance in the development of these revised conditions.
Sarah Kahn
Assistant Director
Animal Quarantine Policy Branch
Contact Officer: Geoff Ryan
Telephone no: (02) 6272 5138
Facsimile no: (02) 6272 3399
Email: Animal Biosecurity