Successfully importing goods into Australia does not only depend on satisfying the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Proving your cargo is not a quarantine risk is also essential before it is accepted into the country.
The purpose of having quarantine controls is to minimise the risk of exotic pests and diseases getting into Australia and damaging health, environment and even industry. For centuries, cargo crisscrossing the globe has contributed to the movement of insects, plants and even viruses, and despite modern health standards and technology, these risks remain.
According to a 2012 study carried out by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), some 31,000 consignments of sea cargo were non-compliant, requiring they be held in quarantine, while some 12,000 consignments of air cargo were deemed non-compliant.
Who Deals With Quarantine Issues?
There is a common misconception that the Customs Service looks after quarantine matters. In fact, inspections are carried out and certifications issued by Biosecurity Australia, a division of DAFF.
Until 2012, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) was invested with the task of enforcing Australian quarantine legislation, screening both cargo and passengers for animal, plant and human quarantine risks using traditional sniffer dogs and X-ray machines. It also certified Australian exports to ensure they complied with international or nation-specific importation requirements.
But since AQIS was advised on policy by Biosecurity Australia anyway, when the government decided to restructure the DAFF and its agencies, AQIS was absorbed by Biosecurity Australia.
Avoiding the Quarantine Nightmare
Importers should make use of the advice given by experts, like ICE’s own team of customs experts. But even this will not guarantee quarantine problems are avoided. Often, these personnel negotiate with quarantine officers.
According to International Cargo Express Managing Director Ronald Spahr, most problems can be avoided if sufficient care is taken at the port of origin. But with documentation needing to be completed properly, manufacturers responsible for packaging, and quality checkers need to be alert, there is always room for errors.
“You try your best to give manufacturers very stringent instructions about how they should be packed,” he explains. “The manufacturer is actually responsible for that aspect, but to meet required standards, they have to use properly treated timber, if they use timber. You should also ask them to use plastic pallets instead of timber.
“Again, it’s a very complex area because not all of the instructions provided by Biosecurity Australia can be applied to every country. Some do not have timber pallets, but only use plastic. Then you have countries like Sweden, who are very environmentally friendly, so they don’t like using plastics. So, you can get fumigation problems that mean we have to fumigate the cargo here before it can be released.”
The Quarantine Process
So, what happens when it comes to the quarantine process? And how quickly can it be completed? It still begins with the Customs Service, which communicates closely with Biosecurity Australia when it has reason to believe arriving consignments may be a biosecurity risk. Briefly, the procedure runs like this:
- Import Declaration Lodged – the importer declares details about the goods to be imported.
- Deemed A Risk - this can be based on one of two things.
a. The importation documents – including the import permit, fumigation certificate and packing declaration – may not be in proper order
b. An initial inspection or observation reveals poor quality or damaged packing, smells or evidence of pests. - Consignments Referred to Quarantine - this is where the cargo is confined to quarantined, necessitating a more detailed inspection and testing.
- Release or Destroy - the results of inspections and tests decide whether the consignment is to be released to the importer, and into Australia, or is deemed non-compliant (unsafe) and is either destroyed, exported back to the country of origin, or held for treatment and repackaging.
The length of time a consignment might spend in quarantine depends on a number of factors, like the type of cargo and the testing procedure involved. The 2012 DAFF study also revealed that the average referral-to-release time for cargo was 3 days (sea cargo) and just 4.3 hours (air cargo). However, the wait for consignments deemed non-compliant can be as long as 38 days.
Contact Your ICE Team
For decades, International Cargo Express has been guiding its customers through the quarantine minefield, advising on how best to avoid the quarantine nightmare that some importers face. With a team of in-house experts, its the best choice for steering clear of lengthy and often costly quarantine delays.
To find out more about what we can do for you, just call your nearest ICE team, or you can read more detailed information on the Department of Agriculture website.
