18 October 2017
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of interest to importers of feathers and manufactured articles containing feathers, as well as associated industry participants and retailers.
What has changed?
The department is currently undertaking an Import Conditions Review to contribute to the delivery of a key initiative in the Australian Government’s 2015 Agriculture Competitiveness White Paper.
The review of feathers and manufactured articles containing feathers was recently finalised. As a result of the review some changes have been made to associated import conditions. The key changes are expected to be published on BICON on 1 November 2017 and are summarised and explained below:
| Change |
Further information |
|---|---|
|
Simplified access to import conditions in BICON. |
The existing 15 pathways will be streamlined into the following 5 pathways:
|
|
The current listing in BICON of ‘countries with highly pathogenic avian influenza’ (HPAI) has been removed. |
Reference to HPAI will be removed as this is not the only disease of concern for these goods. Instead, all commercial consignments of feathers (which are not fully contained within the manufactured article) must be treated. |
|
Reduced treatment requirements for manufactured articles |
Feathers fully contained within a manufactured article, e.g. pillows, doonas, coats etc., (from all countries) will only require treatment if inspection indicates the articles are not clean and free from extraneous biological material. |
|
Treatment methods have been consolidated |
Approved treatment methods (which mitigate all diseases of concern) will be listed in BICON. See Appendix A. |
|
Ethylene oxide has been removed as an approved treatment method. |
Ethylene oxide is not an effective treatment against all diseases of concern for these goods. |
|
Feathers for personal use. |
Must be part of a manufactured article (e.g. pillows, dreamcatchers etc.). |
Further information
For further information please contact us via one of the following methods:
Email: ABIAB Import Conditions Review
Phone: 1800 900 090 (Prompt 1, then Prompt 1, and ask for the Animal Import Conditions Review section).
Appendix A – Approved Treatment Methods
- Gamma irradiated at a dosage of 50 kGray (5 Mrad), or
- Moist heat to a minimum core temperature of 100°C for 30 minutes, or
- Autoclave sterilisation at 121°C for 15 minutes, or
- Autoclave sterilisation at 134°C for 4 minutes, or
- Washed thoroughly in detergent followed by formaldehyde fumigation for a minimum of 4 hours.
Treatments not listed above will require an assessment by departmental staff upon receipt of an import permit application.