This year Australia and Malaysia celebrated 20 years of excellence and working together to grow the Malaysian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme (MAFAS).
The Director General, Dato’ Nor Sam Alwi and other officials from Malaysia’s Department of Agriculture met with Australia’s Agriculture Counsellor for Malaysia, Dr Kate Makin and the department’s compliance and enforcement staff to recognise and celebrate this milestone.
Through MAFAS, consignments heading for Australia are treated with Methyl bromide to reduce the risk of pests and diseases before arrival. This helps Malaysian consignments meet Australia’s import conditions and contributes to managing biosecurity risks offshore.
Since MAFAS commenced in Malysia in 2005 the scheme has grown from 31 registered treatment providers, to more than 100.
During the bilateral meeting to celebrate this important anniversary, Dr Kate Makin said ‘MAFAS is a reflection of our broader bilateral relationship, underpinned by mutual respect and common interests. It has grown into a robust, mature system and a model for interagency cooperation.’
Director General Dato’ Nor Sam Alwi thanked the department’s staff for their work in building the capacity and ability of Malaysia’s Department of Agriculture officers to regulate the local fumigation industry.
MAFAS is one of 12 bilateral arrangements the department has with overseas agencies under the Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme (AFAS), providing assurance on pre-border Methyl bromide fumigations on exports from AFAS partner countries to Australia.
Read more about Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme.
