BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG (BMSB)
Further to our BMSB Update issued in November. Our Customs Manager Colin Brame recently attended a Biosecurity Briefing from the Dept. of Agriculture (DoA) during which a number of current issues being experienced by importers were raised.
ONSHORE TREATMENT
Industry are experiencing an increasing number of containers being rejected for treatment by local fumigators due to packing that doesn’t allow for the effective treatment of the container. Industry however are not seeing a lot of consistency in the grounds for rejection. This lack of consistency and therefor predictability for importers was put to DoA at the meeting. The DoA that they have issued guidelines for conducting effective fumigation treatments of containers for BMSB but ultimately it is at the discretion of the local fumigator as to whether they can meet the guidelines for an effective treatment. The DoA have declined to publish more specific guidelines or to arbitrate on whether a local fumigators decision is valid. It was pointed out that the same level of rejections by fumigators was not happening offshore despite them having to meet the same guidelines. This is something that DoA I sure to address with random checks on arrival. At this point whether fumigation can be undertaken locally remains at the discretion of the treatment provider.
NEW OPTION
Since September 2019 DoA have introduced a new class of treatment provider Class 4.7 which provides for the unpack and treatment of containers that are rejected for fumigation due to packing. At this stage there are limited number of these facilities approved which means demand is far higher than capacity which in turn means there are long delays and the cost of processing through a 4.7 facility is very high. In some ports no approvals have been made. DoA are assessing a number of applications for 4.7 facilities so the options for these services are expected to increase in the short term. DoA will only approve treatment at a Class 4.7 facility if the container has been rejected for treatment due to packing, so there will always be additional costs to move the container to a 4.7 facility.
DELAYS
DoA acknowledged that there were significant delays in issuing Directions for treatment and release after treatment. They confirmed that this is due to a lack of resources. On top of these delays the increased requirement for treatment has created delays in the commencement of treatment at the treatment providers. The delay in treatment is compounding the delay in getting the Direction from the DoA and this is all further compounded by the delay in getting a Release after treatment. DoA advise that they are trying to add resources but it will not resolve the delays in the short term. To avoid these cost and delays it is strongly recommend goods that are subject to BMSB requirements are treated offshore. It is also recommend if you are shipping from a BMSB Target Risk country that you request your supplier, if practical, not to use plastic wrapping to pack your consignment and that adequate room be left in the container to require any required treatment to be effective.
Please do not hesitate to contact the SCC Customs team should you require any information on the BMSB controls.
