Australian Quarantine And Inspection Service Research Articles

“Quarantine Matters!”: Quotidian Relationships around Quarantine in Australia's Northern Borderlands

This paper investigates practices of border formation through an analysis of Australia's quarantine processes. We use the work of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), through the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS), to interrogate the ways in which borders are made and remade in daily life. By exploring quotidian practices of quarantine we argue that borders are the sites of complex and fluid relationships that are constantly being renegotiated as multiple active agents cohabit, contest, belong, and exclude. We find that quarantine borders are constantly being (re)made by forces outside NAQS's control, including through the practices of Yolngu Indigenous land-management staff and rangers, individual local residents, and diverse non-humans. Borders are revealed as active spaces produced in multiple locations at multiple scales. They are underpinned by diverse ontologies and are always more-than-human. This challenges the overly simplified view evoked within AQIS's public awareness material and the prevailing national discourse of defence, invasion, and fear. Through attention to quotidian practices of border making, different ways of understanding borderland geographies emerge.

Assessing biosecurity risks from imported materials

Biosecurity Australia is responsible for assessing and providing policy advice on the sanitary (animal health) and phytosanitary (plant health) risks arising from imports of people, animals and plants, and other goods and materials entering Australia. Biosecurity Australia meets this responsibility by undertaking import risk analyses (IRAs) to establish policy and by conducting reviews of existing policy as necessary. If Biosecurity Australia assesses the risk of a proposed import as acceptable (with or without risk management measures), it makes a recommendation to the Director of Animal and Plant Quarantine, who makes a determination. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) implements this policy determination, by issuing an import permit and ensuring that any recommended risk management measures are undertaken.

Proposed changes to the Australian Standard for microbiological safety in laboratories (AS/NZS 2243.3)

The Australian/New Zealand Standard for safety in microbiological laboratories and containment facilities, AS/NZS 2243.3:20021, is currently undergoing revision. This update reflects requirements for the safe handling of microorganisms in all four containment levels of laboratories and containment facilities (PC1-4); it also covers the requirements for animal, plant and invertebrate containment facilities. The committee has endeavoured to ensure harmonisation with publications by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) and Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) to facilitate implementation by laboratory managers and scientists.

Quarantine risks associated with solid wood packaging materials receiving ISPM 15 treatments

Summary Surveys on solid wood packaging material (SWPM) such as crates, dunnage or pallets (pieces) displaying the ISPM 15 stamp under the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15: Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade (ISPM 15) were conducted by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) during 2005 and 2006 at various locations in Australia. These surveys were to evaluate the quarantine risks and or performance of SWPM receiving ISPM IS treatments and the proportion of untreated SWPM used in air and break-bulk cargo. About 20000 crates, dunnage or pallets (pieces) used in containerised sea cargo were inspected in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Nine percent of SWPM surveyed exhibited something of quarantine concern; of this bark represented 8.5%, fungi 5.9% and live insects, frass and soil, 3.2%, 2.8% and 1.7% respectively — these categories not being mutually exclusive. Before the introduction of mandatory treatment requirements, a large amount of SWPM entering by less-frequented routes such as air and break-bulk cargo was not ISPM 15-compliant or did not receive any treatment. Ongoing review of the ISPM 15 standard and its existing treatments, as well as auditing regimes for treatment providers, are essential to continue to improve the standard and reduce the risk of pests using SWPM as an entry pathway.

EHPnet: Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service

As part of the Australian government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) provides a host of essential services to help ensure that humans, animal and plant products, and even postal mail going to and from the country are healthy and do not pose a threat to Australia’s unique environment. Its almost 3,000 employees inspect and certify agricultural exports, as well as oversee quarantine controls at Australia’s borders. The AQIS website at http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/ provides an overview of these activities.

Using national microbiological data to set meaningful performance criteria for slaughter and dressing of animals at Australian export abattoirs

Slaughter establishments in Australia that export meat to the USA are required by the controlling authority, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), to test carcases under the Escherichia coli and Salmonella monitoring (ESAM) program and to use statistical process control techniques to ensure meat is produced hygienically. However, analysing the ESAM database for E. coli using standard statistical techniques proved difficult because of inter-plant variability and because the vast majority of results were below the limits of detection. As well, it is likely that, in slaughter and dressing, higher than normal microbiological counts can often be random events, for which there is neither logical explanation nor obvious management reaction. One approach to statistical process control is to set performance criteria so that a high proportion of establishments are likely to pass, while prompting individual plants to improve the process if they cannot meet the criteria. A spreadsheet-based tool was developed in V isual B asic™ in order to interrogate the ESAM database and to identify those plants with microbiological performance significantly different from the norm. The present paper describes how performance criteria for cattle, sheep, pigs and goats and for sub-categories within a species (e.g. sheep/lambs, cows/bulls) were established.

Fifteen Years of Managing Ballast Water to Minimise the Biological Threat to Australia’s Marine Environment – Past, Present and Future

Following the identification of non-indigenous toxic marine dinoflagellates in the port of Hobart in the late 1980s, ship’s ballast water has been recognised by the Australian Government and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a pollutant of major environmental consequence. As a result a variety of Voluntary and Mandatory Guidelines and Regulations have been implemented in various countries in an attempt to minimise the likelihood of the spread of harmful organisms and their effects on the environment, economy and human health. Voluntary ballast water quarantine guidelines were first introduced into Australia in 1990 by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), and in July 2001 AQIS implemented mandatory Ballast Water Management regulations that require all international vessels to manage their ballast and not discharge high-risk water in Australian ports. At the international level, IMO initiated a process to develop and implement a set of regulations and standards in a Ballas...

Detection of Plum poxpotyvirus in illegally imported plums intercepted at Sydney International Airport

Plum pox potyvirus (PPV) was detected in an illegal consignment of plum budwood and fruit intercepted by Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) inspectors at Sydney International Airport. PPV was detected in leaf, bark and peduncle tissue using enzyme linke d immunosorbent assay (ELISA), re verse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and electron microscopy. The strain of PPV detected was the D strain as indicated by ELISA and restriction enzyme analysis of the P1-P2 243 bp PCR product.

Organizational Factors in the Diffusion of an Industry Standard: Implementing an Online Documentation System for Australian Exporters

At present, governments in many countries are actively engaged in the development of electronic trading and certification standards to enable the smooth operation of export markets. Standards and their usability underpin confidence in the operations of markets and their effective functioning. In institutional markets, an important role for government agencies lies in developing the initial specifications for standards for interoperable systems. Once these specifications are accepted, governments can then facilitate the eventual diffusion of a standard to the B2B marketplace. Acceptance of an industry standard can determine demand, which defines the viability of that market. In this paper, we describe an initiative by a government agency, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), in developing EXDOC, a standard for export documentation and the role that AQIS played in its implementation and diffusion. Our case study illustrates a successfully facilitated B2G implementation. It demonstrates how a standard can be supported and promulgated for the effective functioning of markets in the transition from manual to online export documentation. Once the overarching specifications for related industries have been established and diffused by government, opportunities arise for private sector markets to develop across these industries. Government agencies can promote the effective operation of standards for electronic markets. The EXDOC implementation and its iterations provide an exemplar of active engagement in the development of electronic trading and certification standards for an institutional market. Its successful diffusion provides a model of the implementation process for other export sectors and agencies.

A Decision Theoretic Approach to Choose Among Alternative Import Protocols for an Import Competing Commodity

The global push toward free trade and the consequent rise in volume of imports from a wider range of countries incurs the likelihood of introducing unwanted pathogens. Given that a zero-risk quarantine policy is not possible, there are tradeoffs between the gains from international trade and the potential costs to society of disease incursions. The aim in this paper is to demonstrate a means for choosing among alternative import protocols through a combined trade and decision model.The economic modeling approach applied to a stylised set of import protocols is a two-step process. First, the gains and losses to consumers and producers, including costs of disease, are estimated for each import protocol. In the second step, three decision rules - minimax, minimin and minimax regret – are applied to a cost matrix to determine the most efficient import protocol.These rules suggest a strong association between the risk attitudes of decision-makers, such as the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) and the type of protocol chosen. For example, if AQIS is not willing to accept the risks of pest and disease incursions and adopts the minimax criterion, the most conservative import protocol that severely restricts imports would be chosen.

Food irradiation: Australian quarantine regulatory attitude toward food exports

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is a major operational unit within the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australia. AQIS has a long history of dealing with irradiation issues, as many imported goods (non food) require disinfestation treatment, for which gamma irradiation is the most cost effective, suitable and efficient means. A ministerial decision was taken in April 1997 which authorised AQIS to oversee a trial of irradiation as a pre-shipment treatment for food to be exported from Australia, with several caveats. Any such treatment would be required to meet importing country requirements, it would be conditional on export certification and would be required to meet certain minimum international requirements established by the Codex Alimentarius. These include minimum and maximum dosage levels and labelling to indicate irradiation treatment has taken place. Strong interest has been generated by the announcement of this trial in a number of food industry segments, who are anxious to participate in the trial program. Further to the anticipated success of the export trial, AQIS is drafting suitable legislation which will allow exports of irradiated foodstuffs from a number of food categories, on an ongoing basis.

Weed Risk Assessment of Plant Imports to Australia: Policy and Process

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is responsible for regulating plant importation into Australia. AQIS operates on the principle of managed risk. The objective is to protect Australia's agricultural industry and natural environment by managing the risks within an appropriately conservative quarantine framework, whilst still permitting desirable plant imports. In 1997 AQIS introduced a new system for screening new plant imports to reduce the levels of exotic weed pests entering Australia. A wide range of issues were considered when developing the policy on new plant imports, from obligations under international agreements, to the accuracy of risk assessment systems and the costs of administering them. This paper outlines the process for assessing proposed new plant imports which currently operates in Australia, and discusses the development of the policy underpinning the process.

Quarantine requirements for the importation of black rhinoceros from Zimbabwe into Australia

The proposal by the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales to import 10 southern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) from Zimbabwe as part of an international project for conservation of the species presented the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) with a unique challenge. This importation is, at least in the modern era, the first importation of live herbivores from the African continent. Many of the serious animal diseases in the world are endemic in parts of Africa. Knowledge of which of these diseases infect wild species and may be transmitted from the wild species to domesticated species, is limited. This paper describes the strategies adopted by AQIS to facilitate the importation of rhinoceros while maintaining protection of Australian consumers, rural industries, domestic livestock and fauna against the entry and spread of unwanted pests and diseases.

The application of risk assessment in animal qurantine in Australia

This paper describes the ways in which the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) uses risk assessment and risk management. Taking into account the need to meet both national and international obligations, AQIS has adopted a more systematic and transparent approach to import risk assessment by employing a procedure designed to examine each point along the importation chain at which an animal or animal product might become infected. The authors discuss the four principal factors influencing the risk involved and the three phases used by AQIS in assessing risk. Objective data are rarely available in the animal health field and most analyses rely, at least in part, on subjective estimates. The authors outline a way of overcoming this through the use of simulation, whereby probability distributions are used for many steps.

Risk assessment on the importation of milk and milk products (excluding cheese) from countries not free from foot and mouth disease

The authors discuss the risk assessment conducted by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) on the importation of milk and milk products (excluding cheese) from countries not free from foot and mouth disease (FMD). This assessment was undertaken in response to requests from countries wishing to export dairy products for sale on the Australian market. AQIS conducted a public consultation on the proposal, in line with Australian Government policy on transparency and accountability in the quarantine decision-making process. The authors examine the procedures involved in the investigation of the likely presence of FMD virus in milk of vaccinated and non-vaccinated cows, and of the heat treatment parameters effective in the inactivation of the virus. The data provide a useful aid in the assessment of the risk factors associated with the importation of milk and milk products, and in the development of quarantine conditions for importation.

Import risk assessment for salmon meat

The authors discuss the risk assessment currently being conducted by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) on the importation of salmon products. AQIS conducted a public consultation on the proposal, in line with Australian Government policy on transparency and accountability in the quarantine decision-making process. The authors examine the factors which should be taken into account in the assessment of the risk associated with the importation of such products, and note the difficulties encountered with the epidemiology of fish diseases.

Applying quality assurance principles to food control: Andrew Green describes the Australian experience

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is the major food control body in Australia. AQIS has been promoting an alternative to traditional inspection of food products for export since 1987, whereby client companies document and implement quality assurance systems which are approved by AQIS. Instead of inspecting each consignment, AQIS periodically audits the company quality systems to provide a basis for issuing certification and meeting its regulatory obligations. AQIS has recently developed additional quality-assurance-based inspection options tailored to meet specific needs in the food industry, or to satisfy certain quarantine requirements. These options are briefly outlined and some of the difficulties faced and experience gained in fostering a quality assurance approach to food and quarantine inspection in Australia are explored.

Occurrence of organochlorine residues in Australian meat

In spite of several quality control procedures used by Australia to ensure the wholesomeness of export meat, a number of pesticide residue violations were identified in the Australian product exported to the USA in May 1987. The pesticides involved were the organochlorines, dieldrin and heptachlor. The problems were caused by the persistence of organochlorines in soils and their illicit use or contamination of storage facilities. Animals grazing contaminated pasture, ingesting contaminated feed or held in contaminated yards over a period, bioaccumulated residues in their adipose tissues which eventually exceeded maximum residue limits (MRL) and caused violations. Though there was no immediate public health risk, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) of the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industries and Energy (DPIE), acted expeditiously to determine and eliminate the factors causing these problems, which threatened Australia's beef export industry worth in excess of two billion dollars annually. An overall strategic plan, "The Integrated Action Plan", was formulated and implemented by AQIS with the assistance of the relevant Departments of the States and the Northern Territory (NT), meat processing and export industries and livestock producer bodies. As a result of this action, the likely sources of contamination were identified and controlled. The National Residue Survey (NRS) was enhanced, a National Residue Data Base (NRDB) was established and a centralised computer system interactive with abattoirs, laboratories and animal health authorities developed. The cattle farm identity tail tag system already in place, capable of tracing cattle to the farm of origin was refined and trace back systems for sheep and pigs were utilised.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)