Quarantine and Biosecurity

Domestic Biosecurity

A range of domestic quarantine requirements exist for the grain industry when moving grain across Australia (https://www.interstatequarantine.org.au/).

While some aspects of quarantine such as weed seed restrictions are listed in GTA Trading Standards, a number of other restrictions & requirements apply including the following:

Plant Health Australia

– which lists a range of material including pests of national concern for the grain industry

– the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program

Pests, diseases & weeds

– Main pests, diseases and weeds of significant to the grain industry.

– Databases to search for the presence in Australia of pests, diseases and weeds.

Lupin Anthracnose

– Requirements for the movement of lupins interstate (link to market notification)

Karnal Bunt

– Measures to ensure Australia remains free of this pest (link to market notification)

Khapra Beetle

– Measures to ensure Australia remains free of this pest (link to market notification)

– Industry Fact Sheet Khapra Beetle

Importing Grain

– Outlines all requirements for the import of grain and grain products

Export Biosecurity

When exporting from Australia, all prescribed grain exports must comply with the Export Control Act. The Act, and its sub-ordinate legislation outlines a range of measures to be undertaken in order to be approved for export and ensure all grain exports comply with export market quarantine requirements.

Reference material available to industry to assist in the export task is available at the DAWE website (https://www.agriculture.gov.au/export) and includes:

Registration requirements for exporting from Australia. Including detailed requirements as outlined in the Plant Export Operations Manual (PEOM)
MICoR (Manual of importing country requirements) listing quarantine requirements of export markets for each commodity.
Export Notices which industry is encouraged to subscribe to, given they outline all changes to export requirements for grain as those changes are made.
Fees and charges to apply.

Grain & Plant Product Export Industry Consultative Committee (GPPEICC)

GTA is an active member of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) Biosecurity initiative. The Grain and Plant Products Export Industry Consultative Committee (the Committee) is the principal forum for DAWE to consult with the grain, fodder, nuts, seed and timber industries on export inspection and certification, export market access and other relevant issues. The Committee aims to provide effective consultation, communication and partnership between the department and industry stakeholders involved in phytosanitary exports by ensuring stakeholders’ views are given due consideration.

Meetings of GPPEICC are generally held three times a year. GTA attend on behalf of its members and produces a Market Notification to industry following each meeting of the main items of interest discussed.

A range of issues are discussed at each meeting which include:

Export fees & charges
Current market access issues and Export Protocols
Authorised Officers (AO’s) Program and its effectiveness
Industry & Government Working Groups dealing with specific operational issues affecting industry exports
Operational issues as they arise
Strategic direction for the DAWE export program

Industry is encouraged to review each Market Notification and provide feedback to GTA to ensure any issues of relevance to exporting grain can be addressed with DAWE and as required, through GPPEICC.

Other International Activities

International Plant Protection Convention https://www.ippc.int/en/

The IPPC is the international body which drives all standards and practices uses for ensuring trade is safe and minimise the spread of pests and diseases in the international grain trade. Various standards apply which Australia is a full signatory.

As part of its international work, GTA is a member of the IGTC Policy Group dealing with phytosanitary issues http://igtcglobal.org/index.php?id=33. The most recent activity of this Working Group has been leading discussion on the draft International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures on Grain Movement. That ISPM if finalised as initially drafted would have severely negatively affected shipments of grain from all Parties to the IPPC Convention, i.e. all the major exporting and importing countries.