Australia's DAFF and BMSB Season Updates: October

DAFF 14.4 Premises arrangement

As any rural-based importer will know there are challenges you face in having Full Container Loads delivered without the arrangement of a rural container tailgate inspection. The very limited numbers of depots and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) officer working hours are real constraints on the monitoring program and thus DAFF have taken the expansion step of offering Approved Arrangements to receive what is called a 14.4 status.

This means the hardware is in place to perform the tailgate inspection, but it won’t have to be done by a DAFF officer. This opens the door to more facilities in the port district having the ability to service a greater number of containers with Price and Speed Sydney the first to obtain their 14.4 approval.

The 14.4 will authorise industry to perform rural tailgate inspections on impediment free consignments. This is an invaluable reform that allows industry to provide some of the lower risk activities performed by DAFF, therefore, allowing limited DAFF resources to be utilised to perform other inspections.

SEKO is happy to arrange this on your behalf if you have any concerns as our brokers can create the rural tailgate direction without any DAFF intervention or delay.

BMSB Progress and Updates

As vessels start to depart target risk countries of origin, we see the need for reminders around BMSB procedures on the rise. FCL must be treated within 5 days prior to departure and LCL to be handled at a master consolidator level.

Changes to FCL / FCX / OT / BB Inspection types.

Containerised goods selected for random BMSB verification inspection were previously directed as Inspect (Secure - Seals Intact) inspections completed under the supervision of a Biosecurity Officer.
 
For the new BMSB season, the department will be conducting BMSB random inspections as Inspect (Unpack) inspections when conducted at an Approved Arrangement. Container unpacks will not be required to be completed under Biosecurity supervision.
 
Biosecurity Industry Participants at Approved Arrangements will be required to collect container sweepings once the container is unpacked and present these with the goods at the time of inspection by a Biosecurity Officer.

Onshore Random verification inspections

• All target high risk and target risk goods will be subject to random verification inspections and will be directed for treatment if BMSB is detected.
• Where goods are shipped as break bulk, random inspections are required to be conducted at Class 21.1AA or Class 1.1 AA (where permitted).
• For goods shipped in flat rack and open top containers, these inspections will be able to be conducted at Class 1.1 and Class 1.3 AA.
• Containerised goods will be directed for an inspect unpack at an Approved Arrangement (AA) site.
• All random onshore verification inspections MUST be completed in a metropolitan location.
• All goods must still meet the standard import conditions in the department’s biosecurity import conditions database (BICON) for all other biosecurity risks.

Emerging risk countries

United Kingdom and China have been identified as emerging risk countries for the BMSB risk season and may be selected for a random onshore inspection.

• China – random inspections will apply to goods shipped between 1 September to 31 December (inclusive).

• United Kingdom – random inspections will apply to goods shipped between 1 December to 30 April (inclusive). 

In addition to target high risk goods, chapters 39, 94 and 95 will also be subject to random inspections for emerging risk countries only.
 
Goods from emerging risk countries do not require treatment for BMSB.

Read more about Australia's BMSB Program here

OCTOBER 12TH, 2022

By Matt Hardesty | SEKO ANZ National Customs Manager