Date of issue: 9 January 2018
Date of effect: Immediate
Reference Number: MAA1801
Attention:
Industries—Industry bodies - AHBIC.
Export establishments including:
- Honey
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources—Central and Regional offices
Purpose
To notify exporters that Chinese border inspection officials are routinely testing Australian honey for the presence of American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood, Small hive beetle and Varroa destructor.
Positive detections within the consignments will result in the rejection of the entire consignment. Exporters should work closely with importers when sending honey to China to ensure that they are able to meet these importing country requirements.
Ongoing negotiations of the market access requirements for Australian honey to China
The department is working with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) in China, to develop market access conditions for Australian honey. This includes negotiating the testing requirements for the diseases listed above.
The department will provide further advice when it becomes available.
The Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MICoR) will be updated to reflect the changes.
Further information
Contact NPG Exports if you have any queries.
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.