7 August 2024
We invite you to comment on the draft review by 5:00 pm AEST, 7 October 2024.
The draft report is available for review and comment on our Have Your Say website.
Draft review of the importation of live snails for heliciculture
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has conducted a draft review of the biosecurity risks of importing live Cornu aspersum (C. aspersum) snails into Australia, for heliciculture, or snail farming.
We conducted this review in response to requests from members of the public, with specific commercial interests in developing breeding lines of snails to expand the Australian heliciculture industry.
The draft review considers current scientific information, international standards developed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and relevant importation policies adopted by other countries.
This draft review has identified pests and diseases of biosecurity concern for this commodity. We have undertaken risk assessments of these pests and diseases.
To achieve Australia’s Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP), the review proposes to:
- Allow the importation of live C. aspersum garden snails into Australia from approved countries, subject to a range of biosecurity measures including that the snails are:
- accompanied by official veterinary health certification
- sourced from approved commercial operations with appropriate food safety and hygiene standards.
- remain in an Approved Arrangement Site, a secure quarantine facility, and bred to the next generation prior to release
- individually examined to minimise risk of importing a species other than C. aspersum.
The 60-day comment period on this draft will commence on 7 August 2024 and will conclude at 5:00 PM AEDT, 7 October 2024.
We invite you to have your say on the draft report. We will consider all stakeholder comments received during the consultation period in preparing a final report.
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Dr Kate Makin
A/g Assistant Secretary
Animal Biosecurity
Email: animalbiosecurity@aff.gov.au