27 July 2017
Who does this notice affect?
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources advises importers and customs brokers that the import conditions for Manufactured Wooden Articles (MWA) within the Timber and timber products BICON case will be changed on 11 September 2017.
What has changed?
On 11 September 2017, amendments will be made to the MWA pathway of the Timber and timber products BICON case.
From this date, consignments of MWA treated offshore by heat, fumigation or irradiation methods will be required to be exported within six calendar months of the required treatment and be accompanied by additional storage certification in the form of a manufacturer’s, supplier’s or exporter’s declaration.
A manufacturer's declaration or supplier’s declaration will require the following statements:
“The <<insert product name/description>> have been stored in an appropriate way to minimise the risk of infestation or contamination by pests of biosecurity concern between the date that the goods *were treated/*entered the facility, and when the goods *were exported/*left the facility.”
*use applicable phrase.
OR
An exporter’s declaration will require the following statement:
“The <<insert product name>> were stored after treatment at the following locations in an appropriate way to minimise the risk of infestation or contamination by pests of biosecurity concern:
<<list the following information about each product line: country of origin, the storage locations (address) and the dates the items were at each specific location>>
The goods arrived in the country of export free of biosecurity concern and were stored at << insert last point of storage location>> in an appropriate way that prevented infestation or contamination.”
Why the change is necessary
Based on industry feedback and recommendations from the Import Conditions Review for timber and timber products, the department is increasing the time allowed between treatment and export for MWA from 21 days to six months. This additional time between treatment and export is aimed at assisting manufacturers/suppliers to be able to effectively treat the goods at an appropriate time during their manufacture. However, to account for this increase in time between treatment and export, importers need to provide assurance that goods have not been infested with pests after treatment.
The storage certification provides the department with evidence that the goods have been stored in an appropriate way that limits the risk of infestation or contamination by pests of biosecurity concern for the entire length of time between the application of an appropriate treatment to the goods and export to Australia.
What the declarations mean
Storage in an appropriate way may differ between facilities. The person responsible for signing the declaration(s) must be satisfied about at least one of the following at each place of storage, which indicates storage in an appropriate way:
- That the manufacturing/storage facility is clean and free of pests; and/or
- That the manufacturing/storage facility has a pest management system or process in place that maintains the manufacturing/storage facility to be free of pests; and/or
- That the manufacturing/storage facility has a process for eliminating infestations in the manufacturing/storage facility; and/or
- That the manufacturing/storage facility has a separate storage facility for treated timber/wooden products to any untreated timber/wooden products; and/or
- The manufacturing process includes a packaging process that ensures that goods are immediately protected from infestation or contamination from pests after manufacture, e.g. boxing/plastic wrapping.
The type of document that importers should use
For goods that have been stored in one location in the same country of origin as the country of export, importers should obtain a manufacturer’s declaration or supplier’s declaration.
For goods that are stored at multiple facilities after treatment OR where the country of origin differs from the country of export, importers should either:
- obtain separate declarations from all facilities where the goods were stored prior to export
or - obtain an exporter’s declaration.
The exporter’s declaration should chronologically list the storage location and timeframe of storage that accounts for the time that the goods were stored in each location prior to export.
Other standard documentary requirements
The storage declaration(s) will need to accompany any required commercial documentation and treatment certification for the MWA goods.
Exceptions
Goods in consignments that have been sealed in a container and exported immediately after treatment (i.e. date of treatment and date of export match) do not require a storage declaration. Refer to the department’s Minimum documentary and import declaration requirements policy for what evidence is required to prove date of export.
Consignments that are exported before 11 September 2017, will need to meet current import conditions that are available in BICON.
Further information
For further information of the upcoming changes please contact Plant Import Operations on 1800 900 090 or email Imports.