Australian Quarantine Review Secretariat Australian Quarantine a shared responsibility

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1 import clearance
2 Live Animal Imports
3 Imported Food Inspection
4 Fresh Fruit and Vegetables AND Cut Flowers
5 Biologicals
6 Timber

APPENDIX E: BORDER PROGRAMS

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) divides its quarantine delivery functions into several programs that reflect both operational reality and commodity groupings. Each program is managed by a designated national program manager located in the central office in Canberra. The program manager is responsible for the financial and general management of the program, and in some cases its technical management. In matters of technical management, the policy and operational staff in the Canberra office work together to set and review program policy and operational arrangements. Central to quarantine operational programs are the border functions (which were formerly referred to as 'barrier functions'). This appendix provides a brief outline of these functions.

1 import clearance

The Import Clearance Program is the largest of the quarantine operations programs in AQIS. The program includes verification, sampling, inspection and treatment of processed foods, agricultural products, shipping and air containers, imports of biological products, live plants and animals, sawn timber, logs, and mouldings. Under the program, approval is given for treatments and packaging of materials used within containers, premises are registered for treatment, unpacking, processing, inspection and/or storage, and electronic initiatives are developed to facilitate clearance at the border (e.g. the AQIS Import Management System, AIMS). Once developed, these computer-based initiatives are implemented in daily operations procedures.

In its submission to the Review, AQIS stated that it has grouped the wide range of activities into a single program because this reflects the reality of its cargo clearance operations and the underlying electronic systems upon which the program relies. To achieve the program's objectives, staff are located at all major points of cargo entry throughout Australia. The program operates in circumstances of rapid and continuous change, with an average increase in the number of containers screened for quarantine purposes of about 12% per year between 1990 and 1996.

2 Live Animal Imports

The Live Animal Imports Program is concerned with ensuring that animals imported into Australia are not diseased or a source of infection. The program can cover such diverse activities as supervision of pre-embarkation quarantine to inspection of animals on arrival. The program covers all imported animals, including domestic and zoo animals, fish and other aquatic animals, bees, and semen and embryos.

In 1996, 11 veterinarians were employed to carry out a variety of border functions including import clearance for live animals at major ports around Australia. On average, 30% of the time of these officers is devoted to this program.

3 Imported Food Inspection

Since the proclamation of the Imported Food Control Act 1992, all food imported into Australia is liable to inspection, or inspection and analysis under this program. The standards which are applied to imported food are principally those found in the Australian Food Standards Code, as developed by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority under the National Food Authority Act 1991. Although AQIS has operational responsibility for the program, the Authority is responsible for developing the food risk analyses and policy for food imports.

The Imported Food Inspection Program is included in this Review because it forms part of the overall border programs. Due to the substantial overlap between this program and the import clearance program, the two are currently being merged in a process described by AQIS as 'harmonisation'. Planning to complete the integration of these programs is well-advanced.
Pending full integration, staff from both quarantine and meat inspection programs are used on food inspection activities.

4 Fresh Fruit and Vegetables AND Cut Flowers

This program is responsible for ensuring the quarantine integrity of imports of fresh fruits, vegetables and cut flowers into Australia. Due to the similarity in operational activities, the program also deals with exports of fresh fruit, vegetables and cut flowers and the provision of appropriate certification to meet international obligations.

AQIS has advised that it does not specifically identify resources in the field to handle the quarantine clearance of these commodities which generally involve information and clearance system processors, permit issuing staff and inspectors at decentralised locations. Inspections of all commercially imported commodities are grouped under the import clearance program, and are charged the same fee for service.

5 Biologicals

With the exception of a small number of low risk products, all biological substances — whether laboratory, manufacturing or therapeutic products of human, animal, plant or microbiological origin — imported to Australia must be accompanied by a valid permit to import. Quarantine staff engaged on the program assess applications for permits to import biologicals, and issue permits subject to any conditions deemed necessary for the safe importation, use and disposal of these products. The current application rate is about 5000 permits a year.
In addition to assessing applications to import, the unit performs additional functions including providing advice to the general public, scientific bodies and commercial importers, and advice and training to AQIS field and office-based staff, as well as monitoring border performance.

6 Timber

All timber and timber products, including timber crates, pallets, dunnage, skids and exposed timber components of shipping containers, are subject to quarantine clearance on arrival. The timber program is responsible for inspection and clearance of all items of timber.

There are 10 broad categories of timber products. These are logs, sawn timber, mouldings, manufactured timber articles from sources other than South-East Asia, manufactured wooden items from South-East Asia, plywood veneer and particle board products, bamboo ware, rattan ware, sawdust and timber components of containers.

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