DAFF - IIAN : 139-2026 Additions to BICON Standard List of Laboratory Microorganisms and infectious Agents

7 August 2026

Who does this notice affect?

Importers and customs brokers associated with importing laboratory microorganisms and infectious agents under a standard permit, including those who currently hold a standard permit to import microbes or related material.

What has changed?

In August 2026, the department completed a review of the biosecurity risks associated with the taxa included on the list of standard laboratory microorganisms and infectious agents (the list). On 6 July 2026, the department published this BICON Alert and Import Industry Advice Notice to open consultation for importers to provide feedback on proposed changes prior to any official amendments to the list. The consultation period closed on 20 July 2026. The department has considered all feedback provided during the consultation period and has considered the level of biosecurity risk posed by the taxa, including seeking additional biosecurity policy advice where required. The final changes to the list are outlined below in Table 1.

Table 1: Additions to the Standard List of Laboratory Microorganisms and Infectious Agents

Why was the list reviewed?

The standard laboratory microorganisms and infectious agents list is a list of 200 taxa commonly imported for laboratory use. These microorganisms and infectious agents may be used in vitro and in vivo in laboratory organisms without biosecurity containment. The department uses the list across a range of commodities, including cloning and expression vectors, viral vectors, animal fluids and tissues and laboratory materials.

A review of microorganisms and infectious agents was commenced to consider additional taxa that pose biosecurity risks at the same level as taxa currently on the 'List of standard laboratory microorganisms and infectious agents.' The review considered current biosecurity policy and scientific advice for the additional taxa, and where required, new policy and scientific advice was sought.

Changes to permit content

Please see Table 1 to view the final changes to the list.

How will my current permit be affected?

If you currently hold an import permit with the list of standard laboratory microorganisms and infectious agents, the department will send you a Notice of Intention to vary your import permit outlining the changes, followed by a Notice of Decision after the changes are implemented. Your permit will remain active, and you can continue to import goods provided that all import conditions can be met.

Future changes to the list

Further to the changes outlined above, the department plans to soon commence assessment of additional microbes to determine if they are suitable to add to the list. This will allow importers flexibility to import a broader range of microbes and related material under a standard permit. Please ensure you are subscribed to BICON alerts to receive updates about these changes.

Further information

Further information on the current policies for importing biological material for laboratory use can be found on the department's website.

If you have any questions relating to this Alert, please contact the Laboratory and Human Tissues team via email at imports@aff.gov.au or by phone at 1800 900 090.