Two weeks ago we brought you the joint end-of-year report from the ABF and AFP, Commercial Contraband Caught in 2022. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has likewise summarised their successes of the past year in A bumper year for biosecurity.
According to their report, it has been a busy year on the frontline for Australia’s biosecurity (quarantine) system, with over 238,000 biosecurity risk items intercepted at airports and an additional 32,800 biosecurity risk items stopped in mail centres.
We will soon be able to learn more about DAFF’s purpose, objectives, and strategic and cross-cutting priorities in their Corporate Plan 2022-23. Finalisation of the plan was delayed due to the machinery of government changes in 2022. They expect to release the plan early in 2023.
Secretary of DAFF, and Australia’s Director of Biosecurity, Andrew Metcalfe AO, said it was important to check what is safe to bring into Australia when going on holidays overseas or buying goods online.
Deputy Secretary of Biosecurity and Compliance, Dr Chris Locke, said serious penalties applied to those putting Australian biosecurity at risk.
“Biosecurity officers have introduced new biosecurity risk measures to help keep Australia free from diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), African swine fever (ASF), and lumpy skin disease (LSD).
“Some of the risk material people tried to bring into the country through the post included a whole leg of ham with the trotter still on, live leeches, a wooden cricket bat with live borers and wallaby meat.
“Our biosecurity officers also found brown marmorated stink bugs in the mail and in people’s luggage, and live khapra beetle larvae on cardamom pods.
“This year we celebrated 30 years of our detector dog program, and in the 2022-23 budget the Australian Government committed $11.7 million dollars to the program.
“This extra funding will allow for 20 detector dogs and 20 handlers, who will be on the frontline of our biosecurity system across travellers, mail and cargo.
“And it’s a worthy investment. This year our detector dog teams intercepted around 21,000 biosecurity risk items from travellers and in the mail.
People who attempt to conceal high risk goods, including within their luggage, could face civil penalties of up to 1,200 penalty units, or $266,400. If hit with an infringement notice, they may have to pay up to $4,440.
Operators and persons in charge of aircraft and vessels who do not comply with the requirements will be subject to sanctions of up to $222,000 for an individual or $1.1 million for corporate bodies.
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