Effective: 10 December 2025
Attention
Importers of bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products, and brokers acting on their behalf.
Purpose
To provide notice of changes to clarify what is classified as a bivalve mollusc product.
Key points
- A bivalve mollusc product is a food containing 50% or more bivalve mollusc meat (such as seafood mixes).
- The updated description of a ‘bivalve mollusc product’ provides clarity on the scope of certification requirements.
- Bivalve molluscs include clams (including ark shells), cockles, mussels, oysters, pipis and scallops.
- Consignments of bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products must be imported from a country that has a foreign government certification arrangement with the department or is in the process of negotiating such an arrangement.
Instructions
Find out about lodging documents for imported bivalve molluscs.
Further information
- Learn more about the biosecurity conditions for importing bivalve molluscs in the biosecurity case in the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON) under ‘Seafood (excluding finfish) for human consumption’.
- Learn more about the analytical testing of bivalve molluscs in the food safety requirements case in the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON) under ‘Molluscs and mollusc products’.
Background
- Foreign government certificates are consignment specific and must be issued by the recognised competent authority. All consignments will be checked to verify the validity of the certificate.
- Consignments without a recognised government certificate will be directed for supervised re-export or supervised destruction at the importers expense.
- Consignments may also be referred to the Imported Food Inspection Scheme for analytical testing. During inspection we will also conduct a label and visual assessment.
Subscribe for updates
Stay updated on changes to the requirements for imported food. Subscribe to the Imported Food Inspection Scheme imported food notices.