Date of issue: 6 November 2020
Date of effect: Immediate
Reference Number: MAA2020-18
Attention:
- Industries—Industry bodies - Seafood Export Consultative Committee
- Export establishments
- Licensed exporters
- Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment —Central and Regional offices
Purpose
This Market Access Advice (MAA) provides urgent information concerning the potential for significant delays in border clearance for consignments likely to affect all seafood exported from Australia.
China trade
The department will continue to provide certification for goods that meet the requirements of the Export Control Act. Exporters and export registered establishments are advised that some recent shipments have been delayed on entry into China, leading to commercial losses.
While the department will continue to facilitate market access and seek to ensure importing country requirements are up to date and accurate, the department encourages exporters to fully consider their own risk and potential losses.
Exporters should ensure that they have independently confirmed relevant importing country requirements. Exporters are urged to seek advice from importers on potential for disruption to the clearance of their shipment.
Summary of key points
Potential delays for the clearance of consignments of seafood at Chinese ports of entry
- The department has received information via commercial channels indicating that there may be significant delays at Chinese ports of entry for the clearance of consignments of seafood.
- Information received indicates that a new testing regime for seafood could be implemented from 6 November 2020. The time taken for laboratory analysis of samples could extend to two weeks.
- At this stage, the department understands that exports of abalone, Atlantic Salmon and coral trout among other fisheries products may be affected.
- The department continues to seek official confirmation on this new border testing and inspection regime and will provide updates.
Increased testing of Australian live rock lobsters
- Further to MAA2020 – 17, the department understands that consignments of Australian live rock lobsters may be tested for heavy metals such as cadmium at Chinese ports of entry.
- In light of this, the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MICoR) will be updated with known maximum limits for contaminates in fisheries products (MLs) specified under China’s National Food Safety Standard, Maximum Levels of Contaminates in Food - GB 2762 – 2017.
If you wish to contact the department on these issues or if your consignment is detained, fails or receives an adverse inspection outcome and is rejected, please contact the department, including all details, via
Email: exportstandards@aff.gov.au
Email: china.trade@aff.gov.au.
Further information
Contact exportstandards@aff.gov.au or china.trade@aff.gov.au if you have any queries.
The information provided in this advice is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify these details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice.