10 December 2015
This Biosecurity Advice notifies stakeholders of the formal commencement by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources of a review of the import requirements for fresh (chilled or frozen) beef and beef products from applicant countries: Japan, the Netherlands and the United States. A review of the import requirements for fresh (chilled or frozen) beef and beef products from New Zealand and Vanuatu will also be included in this review. The department will prepare a draft report, which will be issued for stakeholder comment.
The commencement of this review follows the Chief Executive Officer of Biosecurity’s termination, on 8 December 2015, of the paused import risk analyses for fresh (chilled or frozen) beef and beef products from Canada, Japan and the United States in accordance with paragraph 69J(1)(c) of the Quarantine Regulations 2000.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has assessed the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) food safety risk of the applicant countries; the United States, Japan and the Netherlands as Category 1 BSE food safety risk status, which means they are able to export heat-treated, shelf-stable beef and beef products to Australia.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has initiated this review of import requirements in response to market access requests from the United States, Japan and the Netherlands for the importation of fresh (chilled or frozen) beef and beef products for human consumption.
New Zealand and Vanuatu are included in the review as both are FSANZ assessed countries and have long standing access for fresh beef. The appropriateness of the conditions under which importation occurs has not been reviewed for some time, and as such a review is warranted.
The countries to be considered in this review are:
- Japan
- New Zealand
- The Netherlands
- United States
- Vanuatu.
The review will consider fresh (chilled or frozen) beef and beef products as meat, bone and offal of cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus), buffalo (Bubalus bubalis i.e. water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo) and bison (American bison, Bison bison).
The review will take into account current scientific information, international standards developed by the World Organisation for Animal Health, as well as policies adopted by other countries for the importation of these products. It will identify and categorise hazards of biosecurity concern, other than BSE, associated with the importation of fresh (chilled or frozen) beef and beef products for human consumption. Risk assessments of disease agents will be undertaken as required.
This Biosecurity Advice is available via the department’s website: agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/risk-analysis. 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.
Dr Andrew Cupit
Assistant Secretary
Animal Biosecurity