Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Drought, disaster and rural support
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Levies and charges on agricultural products
    • Mouse infestation advice
    • Plant health
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Report a concern
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Plant Innovation Centre
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Budget 2025-26

    Budget 2025-26

    The 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 March 2025.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Biosecurity
  4. Import risk analyses
  5. Conducting an import risk analysis

Sidebar first - Biosecurity

  • Import risk analyses
    • Import request
    • Conducting an import risk analysis
      • Appropriate Level of Protection
      • Australia’s international biosecurity obligations
      • Roles and responsibilities in an import risk analysis
      • Scientific Advisory Group
    • Animal import risk analyses
      • Review of prawns and prawn products
        • Background: prawn and prawn products review
        • Prawn imports and biosecurity
        • Submissions received on the Review of prawns and prawn products – draft report
        • Submissions received on Australia’s current prawn import policy
      • Cooked turkey meat from the United States
        • Cooked turkey meat from the United States - Commencement of a review
      • Cooked duck meat from Thailand
      • Dairy products for human consumption
      • Fish and fish products for use as pet food and stockfeed
      • Hatching eggs of poultry
      • Import of live sturgeon for aquaculture
      • Natural sausage casings
      • Psittacine birds
      • Egg powder from approved countries
      • Zoo bovids from approved countries
    • Plant risk analyses
      • Plant commodity/country and pest risk analyses
      • How we conduct a plant risk analysis
    • Group pest risk analyses
      • Group pest risk analysis for scale insects
        • Draft report fact sheet
      • Group pest risk analysis for thrips and orthotospoviruses
        • Draft report
        • Fact sheet
        • Final report
      • Group pest risk analysis for mealybugs
        • Draft report
        • Draft report fact sheet
        • Final report
        • Final report fact sheet
    • Biological control agents
      • Risk analyses
        • Completed Risk Analyses
        • Current Risk Analyses
      • Host test lists
      • Protocol for biological control agents
    • Weed assessments
      • Development of the Weed Risk Assessment system
      • Weed risk assessments frequently asked questions
      • Reasons for the Weed Risk Assessment system
      • The Weed Risk Assessment process
        • Weed Risk Assessment system
    • Biosecurity Import Risk Analysis guidelines
    • Centre of excellence for biosecurity risk analysis
    • Biosecurity advices
    • Register as a stakeholder

Conducting an import risk analysis

Overview

Australia’s economy relies on strong and open trade. Every day, we import a range of live animals, plants and animal and plant products.

We must determine if an animal, plant or animal/plant product is safe to import to Australia before importing it. This is because these imported goods can sometimes carry serious pests and diseases. We make this decision by assessing the biosecurity risks of the goods. For some goods, the risk assessment may be in the form of an import risk analysis.

Why we conduct import risk analyses

Import risk analyses are a key part of Australia’s biosecurity system. This system protects Australia against the entry, establishment and spread of pests and diseases.

Australia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO's primary purpose is to ensure safe and open trade for the benefit of all its member countries. Under our WTO obligations, we must consider import requests from our trading partners.

However, we are entitled to maintain a level of protection we consider appropriate to prevent pests and diseases establishing in our country. We refer to this as the appropriate level of protection (ALOP). We express Australia’s ALOP as providing a high level of protection for human, animal and plant health aimed at reducing risk to a very low level, but not to zero. A zero-risk approach would mean Australia would have no imports at all.

Following an import request, we conduct an import risk analysis to determine if each good is safe to import. That is, we assess whether any biosecurity risks associated with the good can be managed to achieve Australia's ALOP.

If the risk cannot be managed effectively, we will not permit trade. If it can, we will mandate import conditions that importers must meet to import the good.

We may also conduct import risk analyses in response to new information, such as following technological advancements or when there is a change in risk to the importation of the product.

How we conduct import risk analyses

We use a formal method to conduct import risk analyses. This method is consistent with international guidelines. It includes a range of assessment tools, including a risk estimation matrix.

We assess the pests and diseases that an imported good can carry. Some of the factors we assess as part of the analysis include (but are not limited to) the:

  • status of pests or diseases in the country of export and Australia
  • likelihood pests or diseases will enter Australia on or in the imported product
  • likelihood pests or diseases will establish and spread in Australia
  • adverse consequences if pests or diseases were to establish in Australia.

Due to international trade rules, we can’t consider competition impacts.

In some cases, we conduct the analysis as a Biosecurity Import Risk Analysis (BIRA). This type of analysis is only conducted in rare circumstances where relevant risk management measures:

  • have not been established, or
  • exist for a similar good and pest or disease combination, but the likelihood and/or consequences of entry, establishment or spread of pests or diseases could differ significantly from those previously assessed.

The BIRA process involves more steps than our standard import risk analysis process, including:

  • appointment of the Scientific Advisory Group to oversee the analysis
  • publishing an issues paper before releasing a draft report
  • publishing a provisional report before releasing the final report
  • an option for stakeholders to request the Inspector-General of Biosecurity (IGB) to review the analysis.

These steps are prescribed under the Biosecurity Act 2015 and the Biosecurity Regulations 2016.

Who we involve when conducting an import risk analysis

We seek input from key stakeholders for all import risk analyses. This can include input from:

  • Commonwealth and state or territory government agencies
  • industry stakeholders
  • the Scientific Advisory Group
  • external experts
  • the country of export.

Stakeholders can stay informed on all import risk analyses via our subscription service. The service includes ‘Biosecurity Risk Analysis Plant’ and ‘Biosecurity Risk Analysis Animal’ subscription options.

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip
Page last updated: 23 February 2024

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.

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram