Global · Case study

Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Biosecurity Inspection Framework

Australia (national; seaports of first entry)Ongoing; DAFF Biosecurity 2030 Roadmap (October 2024)

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) runs Australia's border biosecurity system, which in 2023 to 2024 carried out 623,000 cargo assessments and 274,100 cargo inspections (DAFF, 2024, p. 20). DAFF's Biosecurity 2030 Roadmap is key to delivering the Australian Government's contributions to the 2022 National Biosecurity Strategy and aims to deliver a fit for purpose risk based biosecurity system (DAFF, 2024).

Commercial vessels submit a pre-arrival report 12 to 96 hours before arrival so that DAFF can assess biosecurity risk before the vessel arrives (DAFF, n.d.a). Goods and containers may be inspected on arrival at the seaport of first entry, and all break bulk cargo is inspected as it is unloaded (DAFF, n.d.b). DAFF also inspects around 6,000 randomly selected consignments of commercial sea cargo each year, inspects the external surfaces of sea cargo containers and inspects vessels (DAFF, n.d.c). Seaports of first entry include the Ports of Sydney, Botany, Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle and Adelaide (DAFF, n.d.d).

Under approved arrangements, industry operators can carry out specified biosecurity activities, such as deconsolidating sea cargo and inspecting and treating goods, at their own premises without continuous departmental supervision (DAFF, n.d.e).

Transferability

For DMC ports, the Australian DAFF framework shows a national, risk based biosecurity inspection system.

Transferable elements include, among others, national biosecurity strategy, risk based inspection targeting, pre-arrival risk assessment of vessels, and approved arrangements that let accredited operators carry out some checks.

DMCs have existing biosecurity frameworks that can be strengthened through adoption of these principles.

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.