Biosecurity update - Departmental service levels & industry best practice

Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) representatives yesterday (31 May 2021) met with Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (the department) executives to:

• obtain an update on assessments and inspections; and
• to prepare content for the upcoming FTA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Border Compliance Program events. 

Below is a summary of main outcomes.

SERVICE LEVELS

Pleasingly, the department was able to confirm that they are within their service standards in relation to both document assessments (Biosecurity and Imported Foods) as well as inspection bookings.  

The department attributed this current positive result largely to a 10% reduction in lodgements across the course of last week, and a concurrent decrease in Self Assessment Clearance (SAC) entries .As such, SAC processors have been able to assist with the Full Import Declaration (FID) workload. 

The department reiterated that officers are still working overtime weekdays and every weekend to try and keep pace with the workload.  Should LRN lodgements return to previously high levels (as predicted by the increased forecast in trade over coming months), concerns remain that the department will again fall out of service.

The department repeated a call that industry members can assist tby ensuring early and accurate lodgement of entries to reduce the impacts contributing to unmanageable escalated queues. This was raised in light of the advice from the department that around 15% of all LRNs cannot be processed at first touch and require either some sort of rework or additional documentation to be provided.

Andrew Christie [Director - Andrew Christie Consulting / Chair - FTA Biosecurity Treatment Provider Reference Group (BTRG)] will present a session in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane on "Providing Biosecurity Assurances"

• Safeguarding against Biosecurity risks while facilitating legitimate trade -compliance issues faced by customs brokers, importers and treatment providers in delivering a critical service.

Lee Cale PSM [Assistant Secretary, ACC, Biosecurity Division, Regional Manager South East, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment] will present in Perth and Melbourne and Andrew Patterson [Assistant Secretary, Inspections Group Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment] will present in Sydney and Brisbane on "Biosecurity Risks in an evolving global market"

• The devastating potential impacts of a Biosecurity incursion explained by the Chief Veterinary Officer and Chief Plant Protection Officer
• Emerging reforms associated with Federal Budget funding 

We highly recommend that members attend the Border Compliance Program events (Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane) - in addition to 24 CPD points, your EARLY BIRD registration entitles you to the following FREE benefits:

• complimentary access to Continued Biosecurity Competency (CBC) Activity 21-22/01 for 19.1. Non-commodity for Containerised Cargo Clearance (NCCC)  - 3 CPD points in Stream A - via ComplianceNetFTA.com.au ; and
• complimentary access to a further 6 CPD points in Stream A via ComplianceNetFTA.com.au :