30 June 2017
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to importers of (certain/specific) uncooked prawns and uncooked prawn meat products and associated industry participants and retailers.
What has changed?
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has confirmed that:
- The import suspension on uncooked prawns will lapse on 6 July 2017.
- Enhanced import conditions will apply on 7 July 2017 to allow safe trade in prawns and prawn products, while meeting Australia’s appropriate level of protection (ALOP). These conditions can be found at Biosecurity advice 2017-12.
- The enhanced import conditions apply to:
- Uncooked, peeled prawns (tail fans and last shell segment permitted)
- Uncooked, peeled, wild caught Australian prawns processed overseas (tail fans and last shell segment permitted).
- Uncooked, peeled, marinated prawns (tail fans and last shell segment permitted).
Trade in uncooked prawns and uncooked prawn meat products will not occur until the department has confirmation from Competent Authorities in exporting countries that they can meet Australia’s import conditions. The department is working closely with trading partners to ensure trade can be resumed as quickly as possible. The department will provide further updates after trading partners provide confirmation they can meet the enhanced import conditions.
The department will contact importers of product affected by the suspension individually to provide advice about their import permits over the coming days. Where import permits are not able to continue past the end of the suspension, the department will reissue new import permits when trading partners advise they can comply with the new import conditions.
Please note that all product that has received a notice of direction and is subject to the initial suspension, must test negative for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) at Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) before it can be released on to the market. This accounts for the fact that it was not subject to the risk management measures required for future shipments.
Prawns that test positive for WSSV at AAHL must be either exported, disposed of, or cooked. If product tests negative for WSSV at AAHL, the department will release it from biosecurity control.
Contact information
If you require further information please call 1800 900 090 or email Imports.
Biosecurity import conditions are available on the department’s Biosecurity Import Conditions database (BICON).