Non-commercial consignments

Biosecurity officers are often required to provide services for the export of non-commercial quantities of commodities from ports (airports) for departing passengers carrying goods as baggage or freight. Normally these will not require treatment by fumigation.

Because of organisational constraints it may be necessary to specify that this operation can only be conducted at specific times, or within a period (possibly at least one and a half hours) before a flight departure.

STEP PROCEDURE FOR THE INSPECTION OF NON-COMMERCIAL CONSIGNMENTS
1 The exporter presents the commodities for inspection at the point of exit.
2 The exporter presents the import permit for commodities if this has been obtained.
3 The exporter presents the import permit for commodities if this has been obtained.
4 Take the required sample and inspect for pests. Specific regulated (quarantine) pests may be specified in the import permit and should be looked for; other non-quarantine pests need not be recorded. Look for the following:

  • fruit fly strikes
  • galls on leaves
  • insect damage by cutting or piercing
  • soil
  • insect frass
  • plant parts not part of the commodity.

The legislation permits you to take samples, to inspect them and have them tested in order to issue a certificate.

5 If regulated pests are intercepted/detected, the consignment is to be prohibited export and a certificate is not issued. The inspection process ends here. This is non-conformity. Go to Step 7.

If regulated pests are not detected, go to Step 6.

6 Issue the phytosanitary certificate in accordance with the export requirements.
7 Complete the documentation of the process.

Where pests are detected, take samples and, if these cannot be immediately identified, refer them to the specialist entomologist/plant pathologist for identification.

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