30 May 2016
This Biosecurity Advice advises stakeholders of the release of a draft report of the review of import conditions of captive non-human primates into Australia.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources invites stakeholders to provide comments on the Importation of captive non-human primates–review of import conditions by 29 June 2016.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is reviewing the biosecurity policy for the importation of captive non-human primates. The review takes into account current scientific information, advice from scientific experts, and relevant changes in industry practices and operational practicalities.
This review has identified and categorised biosecurity risks associated with the importation of captive non-human primates and assessed the relevant disease agents.
The review proposes:
- removal of the country freedom requirement for yellow fever; the risk for this disease is considered to be managed by Australia's general biosecurity controls for zoo animals
- removal of the premises freedom requirements for hepatitis B, measles, simian haemorrhagic fever and simian immunodeficiency syndrome; the risk for these diseases is considered to be managed by Australia's general biosecurity controls for zoo animals
- moving all the testing for tuberculosis the pre-export period and reducing the premises freedom requirement was reduced from five years to two years to be consistent with recommendations in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
The department invites comments on the technical aspects of the proposed biosecurity measures associated with the importation of captive non-human primates. In particular, comments are sought on their appropriateness and any other measures stakeholders consider would provide equivalent risk management outcomes.
Comments on the draft report should be submitted by 29 June 2016.
The draft report is available via the department’s website: agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/risk-analysis.
All submissions received on the draft report will be carefully considered by Animal Biosecurity in finalising the review of existing import conditions.
Please pass this notice to other interested parties. If those parties wish to be included in future communications on this matter they should contact Animal Biosecurity.
Lodging a submission: There is no specific format for a submission, but they must be in writing, and identify the relevant technical biosecurity issues being raised with supporting evidence. Preferably, submissions should be in Microsoft Word or other text-based formats and lodged electronically via email, but postal submissions are acceptable. Submissions should be received by the department within the stated comment period and addressed to:
Animal Biosecurity
Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA
Telephone: +61 2 6272 4465
Facsimile: +61 2 6272 3856
Email: Animal
Privacy: Personal information collected by the department will only be used to enable the department to contact you about your submission and may be disclosed to specialists, another Commonwealth government agency, a State or Territory government agency or foreign government department, provided the disclosure is consistent with relevant laws, in particular the Privacy Act 1988.
The department requests that, as a minimum, you provide your name and contact details with your submission. Please indicate if you do not wish to have personal information published with your submission or disclosed to third parties. Collected personal information will be used and stored consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles as outlined in the department’s Privacy Policy available on the department’s website.
Confidentiality: Subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1988, content of submissions may be made public, unless you state you want all or part of your submission to be treated as confidential. A claim for confidentiality must be justified and provided as an attachment, marked ‘Confidential’. ‘Confidential’ material will not be made public. The department reserves the right not to publish submissions.
No breach of confidence will occur if the department shares your submission with a third party referred to under ‘Privacy’ in seeking advice in response to your submission.
Intellectual property: Responsibility for compliance with Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in submissions rests with the author(s). In lodging a submission, you warrant you have not knowingly infringed any third party IPR. By lodging a submission, you grant the Commonwealth a permanent, irrevocable, royalty-free, world-wide, non-exclusive licence to use, copy, reproduce, adapt, communicate and exploit all or any of the material contained in the submission.
Yours sincerely
Dr Andrew Cupit
Assistant Secretary
Animal Biosecurity