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All food production activities have some level of impact on the environment. For commercial fishing, one of the most direct and visible impacts from the harvest of commercial fish species is the unintentional catch of species that are not retained—known as ‘bycatch’.
The Department of Agriculture plays an important policy role in promoting the biological, economic and social sustainability of Australian fisheries, particularly those managed by the Australian Government.
The Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) was first declared in 1979. It covers Commonwealth waters—generally from 3 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles from the Australian coast. The AFZ is established through the Fisheries Management Act 1991. It relates only to the use or protection of Commonwealth fisheries. The AFZ covers an area of over 8 million square kilometres.
We have completed a review of import conditions for apiaceous vegetable seeds for sowing.
We are reviewing the biosecurity status of pests considered in the review of apiaceous vegetable seeds for sowing, including consideration of new scientific information and potential alternate entry pathways. This will ensure recommendations remain technically justified and will lead to effective and efficient management of biosecurity risk.
We develop policies that allow people to safely import plants and plant products into Australia.
When people want to import plants or plant products from overseas, we need to consider the biosecurity risks. Part of our analysis includes identifying the best ways to manage risks.
Import conditions for avocados from New Zealand are available on the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON), making the import of these goods possible.
A Biosecurity Advice notice is a notice that informs stakeholders about the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources - Biosecurity's work. Biosecurity Advice notices are sent to registered stakeholders and placed on the website.
13 September 2019
This Biosecurity Advice notifies stakeholders of the release of the Final review of import conditions for brassicaceous vegetable seeds for sowing.
The final report recommends phytosanitary measures to manage the biosecurity risks posed by seed-borne pathogens, to achieve the appropriate level of protection (ALOP) for Australia.
12 September 2019
This Biosecurity Advice notifies stakeholders of the release of the Final report for the review of biosecurity import requirements for fresh breadfruit from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
