403-2025: Notice of changes to Brucella canis import conditions

5 December 2025

Who does this notice affect?

This notice affects all importers and pet transport agents who intend to import live companion or assistance dogs into Australia, and departmental officers who examine animals and assess their documentation for import into Australia. This notice also affects international official government veterinarians and licenced veterinarians preparing animals for export to Australia.

What has changed?

Biosecurity import conditions for the management of Brucella canis are being updated to align with the department’s policy review for the Importation of dogs and cats and their semen from approved countries (2013). The policy review determined that serological testing should be conducted at least one incubation period after the last mating, insemination or semen collection, mitigated the risk that the dog may be incubating infection of Brucella canis at the time of blood sample collection. There is a period of approximately 21 days between initial exposure and bacteraemia.

These changes will be effective from 02 March 2026. All import permits issued from 02 March 2026 onwards will be issued with the below ‘Future import condition’.

The following changes will be made to the import conditions:

Current import condition for Brucella canis

Brucella canis

1. The dog must be desexed, or
2. The dog must be tested with a negative result for Brucella canis using either a rapid slide agglutination test, a tube agglutination test or indirect fluorescent antibody test, on a blood sample collected within 45 days before export.

AND

The dog must not have been naturally mated or artificially inseminated from at least 14 days before sample collection for Brucella canis testing until export.

Future import condition for Brucella canis

Brucella canis

1. The dog must be desexed:
   1. female dogs must have undergone ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy.
   2. male dogs must have undergone bilateral orchiectomy.

OR

2. The dog must be tested with a negative result for Brucella canis using either a rapid slide agglutination test, a tube agglutination test or indirect fluorescent antibody test, on a blood sample collected within 45 days before export.\

AND

The dog must not have been naturally mated or artificially inseminated from at least 21 days before sample collection for Brucella canis testing until export.

Currently, dogs that arrive non-compliant for Brucella canis import conditions are tested onshore 21 days after the last potential opportunity for mating. Dogs must remain under post entry quarantine restrictions until the biosecurity risks have been effectively managed. All testing and costs associated with additional biosecurity risk management measures will be at the owner’s expense.

The onshore management of non-compliant dogs is not changing and will remain in line with the above.

Further information

For further information please contact the Animal and Biological Imports Branch on 1800 900 090 or email imports@aff.gov.au.