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Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Import
  4. Importing goods
  5. Plants and plant products
  6. Managing biosecurity risk

Sidebar first - Import

  • Plants and plant products
    • Bulk grain
      • Bulk grain guidance and templates
      • Managing the biosecurity risks of imported bulk grain
    • Cut flowers and foliage
      • Managing pests
      • Supply chain management system requirements
      • Importing cut flowers for commercial use guide
    • Food, drink and supplements
    • Fresh produce
    • Live plants
      • Approved sources of Phalaenopsis
      • Approved sources of tissue cultures free of media
      • Emergency measures for Xylella
      • Live plant forms
    • Managing plant imports biosecurity risk
    • Plant-based animal feed
      • Guide to engaging and undertaking third party audits of processed plant-based stockfeed facilities
      • Infographic - importing processed plant-based animal feed
      • Plant-based animal feed and fertiliser forms
      • Requirements for facilities manufacturing and exporting processed plant-based stockfeed and their ingredients to Australia
    • Plant products applied to soils and plants
    • Seeds for planting
      • Applications for approval of new phytosanitary treatments for seeds
      • Coversheet for seed for planting consignments
      • Department approved seed purity testing laboratories
      • Emergency measures: Tomato brown rugose fruit virus
      • Emergency measures for tomato and capsicum seed: Tomato mottle mosaic virus Questions and Answers
      • International Clean Seed Pathway Workshop
      • Pathogen test request form
      • Reviewing laboratory test reports checklists
      • Seed contaminants and tolerance tables
      • Vegetable seeds policy review
    • Plant research material
    • Processing imported plant material in Australia
    • Timber, bamboo and wood products
      • Treatments for timber and timber products
        • Timber permanent preservative treatment requirements
          • Approved timber permanent preservative formulations
          • Timber preservation standards
      • Canadian Sawn Wood Certification Program (CSWCP)
      • Imports for non-commercial (personal) use
      • Types of timber, bamboo, and related products
      • Non-standard import permits for timber and plant products not for human consumption

Managing biosecurity risk in imported plants and plant products

Imported plants and their products can introduce exotic and unwanted weeds, pests and diseases into Australia. These can threaten our natural environment, our food security and economy.

We protect Australia’s biosecurity status through education and targeted regulation.

Shared responsibility

We all have a responsibility for protecting Australia’s biosecurity status.

If you import or export goods to or from Australia or operate an approved arrangement, you need to be aware of your responsibilities under Australian law.

See something unusual on your farm or in goods, containers, or parcels? Report it, even if you’re not sure.

Import conditions

We set import conditions to manage the risks associated with plants and plant products imported for:

  • commercial use or sale
  • personal use.

We monitor compliance with the import conditions and take action when necessary to address non-compliance and enforce laws.

Our goal when we set conditions is to achieve Australia’s Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP). This is a very low level of risk but not zero risk.

We accept a very low level of risk to meet our international obligations to facilitate safe trade.

All plant and plant products we permit for import into Australia along with any conditions we have set for managing the risks are listed in our  Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system.

If you want to import a species that is not permitted, you cannot import the product until: 

  • we have completed a biosecurity risk analysis
  • import conditions have been developed and published on BICON.

Arrival in Australia

On arrival of your goods at Australia’s border, we will check the accompanying documentation, including import permit if required to verify the import conditions have been met.

We may also inspect your consignment depending on the risk it poses for carrying pests and diseases of biosecurity concern.

Once we have checked the paperwork and inspected the consignment, we will either release the goods from biosecurity control or require further action to be taken such as treating the consignment for pests or securing it pending further information or diagnostic results.

Learn more about how we manage your consignment on arrival.

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

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Page last updated: 14 October 2020

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

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