37-2026: Updates to Brucella canis import conditions for live dogs

02 March 2026

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.

See related notice published in December 2025, alerting stakeholders of this upcoming change: 403-2025: Notice of changes to Brucella canis import conditions.

What has changed?

Biosecurity import conditions for the management of Brucella canis have been 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 or insemination, mitigating 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.

Effective desexing reduces an animal’s desire to mate, and therefore their likelihood of spreading an infection with Brucella canis. The below desexing procedures are the only procedures the department consider effective in removing an animal’s desire to mate to a level low enough to effectively manage the biosecurity risks associated with Brucella canis. This has not changed; however, the defined procedures have been added to the import conditions to reduce any uncertainty.

These changes are now live.

An example of the updated import conditions that may be applied to import permits for live dogs from 02 March 2026 can be found below. Please refer to each individual dog’s unique import permit for the import conditions appropriate for that dog’s import.

import condition for Brucella canis

Brucella canis

1. The dog must be desexed:

   1. female dogs must have undergone bilateral ovariectomy or ovariohysterectomy.
   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.

Unless contacted by the department directly, any dog that arrives with an import permit issued before 02 March 2026, without the updated import conditions for Brucella canis, will only be required to meet the import conditions on their unique import permit.

Dogs that arrive non-compliant for Brucella canis import conditions will continue to be 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 any additional biosecurity risk management measures are at the owner’s expense.

Further information

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