14 February 2025
Who does this notice affect?
Stakeholders in the import and shipping industries—including Master Consolidators, vessel masters, freight forwarders, treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers and principal agents—associated with shipping or importing goods that require increased intervention during the 2024-25 BMSB risk season.
What has changed?
Recently suspended offshore treatment providers (e.g. IIAN 25-2025, IIAN 31-2025, IIAN 36-2025 and IIAN 37-2025) in Turkey, USA and Singapore may have treated goods under the BMSB Seasonal Measures.
The department will enact the ‘in transit policy’ for consignments where the treatment provider status has changed. Affected parties should be aware of the in-transit policy and how this may apply to them.
Consignments or goods are classified as ‘in-transit’ when they have left the country of origin but have not yet been cleared through the border in Australia.
Under this policy, all BMSB treatment certification issued by a treatment provider classified as under review or suspended will be considered unacceptable from the date the change is published on the department’s website, regardless of the date of treatment or date of issue on the certificate. This includes certification issued both before and after the change in their status.
If a treatment provider’s approval status is subsequently reinstated, only certificates issued after the date of reinstation will be valid.
BMSB poses a significant fly away risk, the department regards untreated and ineffectively treated goods as high risk.
Containerised goods will be directed for onshore treatment.
Break bulk goods, including goods shipped in open top or on flat rack containers, that were shipped on board on the date of, or prior to, the treatment provider being placed under review or suspended, will be permitted to discharge/unload on arrival only if there is an approved biosecurity risk management plan in place. Treatments completed after the date of suspensions or where an appropriate risk management plan cannot be provided will not be permitted to discharge.
A biosecurity risk management plan (including all required documents must be submitted to the department via email to Hitchhiker Pests Policy, prior to the goods arriving in Australia. Failure to do so will result in the goods being denied discharge and/or being directed for export. The detailed biosecurity risk management plan is intended to demonstrate to the department that the risk is being sufficiently managed in order to allow the transport of the affected cargo from the vessel to a department approved onshore treatment provider for treatment in accordance with the BMSB seasonal measures. This includes all steps between discharge and treatment.
Further information on the in-transit policy and the requirements of the biosecurity risk management plan can be found at http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/before/brown-marmorated-stink-bugs/prepare-import.
Further information
Further information regarding BMSB seasonal measures, can be found on the BMSB webpage agriculture.gov.au/bmsb or for policy information email spp@aff.gov.au.
For further information on pre-border biosecurity treatment providers email offshoretreatments@aff.gov.au.