Date of issue: 11 October 2018
Date of effect: 15 October 2018
Attention:
Industries—Seafood
Export seafood establishments
Licensed exporters
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources—Central and Regional offices
Purpose
To notify exporters of implementation on 15 October 2018, of new certification requirements for molluscs (except cephalopods) of aquaculture origin exported to Taiwan.
Summary of key points
Taiwan requires the harvest area to be listed on export certificates accompanying molluscs (except cephalopods) entering Taiwan. Shipments of these products will be detained in Taiwan if they do not comply with this requirement.
The department has developed new certification (FX46TA) which will include the harvest area for molluscs of aquaculture origin. This new certification will cease the need for an accompanying facilitation letter.
For molluscs (except cephalopods) sourced from land-based aquaculture facilities, an exporter must:
- Include the name, address and establishment number (if applicable) of the land-based aquaculture facility/facilities where the product(s) have been harvested when raising a ‘Request for Permit (RFP)’ e.g. Testfarm1 Test Street Hobart TAS 2600.
- Enter this information into a free text field located in the RFP. The department strongly advises exporters to contact their software provider prior to the 15 October 2018, to identify the location of the free text field when completing a RFP.
- Exporters must ensure that details are entered correctly to ensure that correct information appears on export certificates and consignments are not detained by Taiwanese officials due to inconsistencies in the name and address of source facilities.
- The harvest area information will appear on the certificate in a new field located above the product line called ‘Aquaculture Area.’
For molluscs (except cephalopods) sourced from ocean grown aquaculture areas, such as artificial reefs, the exporter must:
- Enter the export registration number, name and address of the licensee and FAO code of the harvest site, in the free text field in the RFP. The department strongly advises exporters to contact their software provider prior to the 15 October 2018, to identify the location of the free text field when completing a RFP.
- This information will appear on the certificate in the ‘Aquaculture Area’ field.
For molluscs (except cephalopods) sourced from harvest areas accredited under the Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (ASQAP) Export Standards:
- The harvest area information is to be entered into the harvest area field in the RFP. This information will continue to appear in the product description when a certificate is issued, as for current certification.
- Exporters must enter ‘Not Applicable’ in the free text field when completing the RFP.
For molluscs (except cephalopods) of wild origin, exporters must use the FX46T certificate and enter the ASQAP harvest area or FAO zone when completing the RFP, as advised in MAA 2018-02 issued 5 March 2018.
The department strongly advises exporters to contact their software provider prior to the 15 October 2018, to identify the location of the free text field when completing a RFP.
The Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor) will be updated to reflect these changes.
Please see Micor for further information.
The information provided in this advice is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify these details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice.
Further information
Contact Exports if you have any queries.