125-2017 - Changes to import conditions for wool and woollen articles

20 December 2017

Who does this notice affect?

Importers of wool and woollen articles.

What has changed?

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is currently undertaking an Import Conditions Review (ICR) to contribute to the delivery of a key initiative in the Australian Government’s 2015 Agriculture Competitiveness White Paper.

The review of wool and woollen articles was recently finalised.

The key changes are summarised below and the new import conditions will be published in BICON on Monday 22 January 2018.  

Change

Further information

Several BICON cases have been merged into a single BICON case.

The decision tree in the new BICON case has been simplified.

The following BICON cases have been merged:

  • Wool
  • Animal hair and fibre (exc. wool)
  • Lanolin and wool grease

A new BICON case has been created:

Natural fibres (and their derivatives) of animal origin.

The pathways from the original BICON cases have been streamlined into the following five pathways:

  1. Personal use
  2. Silk or silkworm cocoons (without pupae)
  3. Wool grease or derivative (e.g. lanolin)
  4. Wool/fibre from sheep, goats or camelids
  5. Animal hair, fibre or bristles (other than from sheep, goats or camelids)

Capripox risk management requirement clarified

Wool must be sourced from countries approved by the department as free from Foot and Mouth Disease and Capripox disease, or be treated to mitigate the risks.

(See Appendix A)

Approved treatment methods to manage biosecurity risks associated with wool have been standardised.

Treatment methods have been standardised across all pathways and are listed in BICON.

(See Appendix B)

Clarification of the required import documentation.

Health certificates or Government endorsed Manufacturer’s Declarations must attest to all treatments and the country/ies where the wool was sourced and manufactured.

The term health certificate replaces the terms official government veterinary certificate and government veterinary certificate.

It has been clarified that wool and fibre imported under these conditions must only be sourced from sheep, goats and camelids.

The biosecurity risks associated with wool and fibre sourced from other animals are not reflected in the standard conditions of this BICON case.

Importers of wool and fibre from other animals will be directed to contact the department to obtain further information.

Transition Period

Please note there will be a transition period until 5 March 2018. During this period relevant goods arriving into Australia meeting either the new or previous import conditions will be cleared. This will ensure goods in transit are not negatively impacted by this change and will provide importers time to arrange for their suppliers to meet the new conditions.

From 5 March 2018 (inclusive) all imports of wool and woollen products must comply with the new import conditions.

Further information

For further information please contact us via one of the following methods:

Email: ABIAB Import Conditions Review

Phone: 1800 900 090 (Prompt 1, then Prompt 1, and ask for the Animal Import Conditions Review section)

Appendix A – Countries approved by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as free from Capripox and Foot and Mouth Disease

Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland - republic of, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America

Appendix B – Approved treatment methods

For wool sourced, manufactured and exported from a country approved by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as free from Capripox and Foot and Mouth disease

Note: Manufacturing includes all steps prior to certification. This includes (but is not limited to) processing, packaging, labelling and storage.

  1. The wool must have been:
    1. heated to a minimum of 95˚C for at least 30 minutes, or
    2. washed in water containing non-ionic detergent (> 1 g/litre) at a minimum of 60˚C for at least 60 minutes.

OR

  1. The wool must have been commercially scoured at a minimum temperature of 60°C for at least 5 minutes, or a minimum of 70˚C for at least 3 minutes
    And one of the following:
    1. the scouring solution is to be at a minimum pH of 9, or
    2. washed in water at a minimum temperature of 75˚C for at least 1 minute, or
    3. dried at a minimum temperature of 70˚C for at least 10 minutes.

Note: for this option to be valid, the required documentation must include the date of scouring as the time between scouring and importation must be at least 4 weeks

OR

  1. The wool must have been commercially scoured and undergone heat treatment at a minimum temperature of 85˚C for at least 1 hour (the heat treatment may include the dyeing process).

OR

  1. The wool must have undergone a heat treatment at a minimum of 95°C for at least 15 minutes hour (the heat treatment may include the dyeing process).

OR

  1. The wool must have been autoclaved at 120˚C for 10 minutes.

OR

  1. The wool must have been carbonised by the following method:
    1. the wool passed through a 5-7% sulphuric acid bath, and
    2. the wool was dried at 60-80˚C and then baked at 90-120˚C, and
    3. the treated wool was then passed through a set of heavy fluted rollers and then placed into a drum roller, and
    4. the wool passed through a bath that contains soda ash and was bleached with hydrogen peroxide or formic acid.

For wool sourced, or manufactured or exported from a country NOT approved by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as free from Capripox and Foot and Mouth Disease

  1. The wool must have been commercially scoured and treated by one of the following methods:
    1. heating to a minimum of 95˚C for at least 30 minutes, or
    2. washing in water containing non-ionic detergent (> 1 g/litre) at a minimum of 60˚C for at least 60 minutes.

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern