Industry News

CHANGES TO BIOSECURITY COST RECOVERY FEES - EFFECTIVE JANUARY 16 2023

Attachments: With this article are the following attachments

BIOSECURITY COST RECOVERY FEE INCREASE

Commencement of cost recovery to manage the risk of hitchhiker pests and diseases – Sea FID charge increase from 16 January 2023

In the 2021-22 Budget, the Australian Government committed $96.9 million over 4 years to better manage the risk of hitchhiker pests and diseases that can cause considerable cost and disruption to agricultural production, the environment, and the way of life of all Australians. The program is to be funded through a combination of existing departmental sources and cost recovery from industry.

This commitment reflects the growing risk posed by hitchhikers because of rising trade volumes, supply chain complexities, and the concurrent movement of pests and diseases around the world.

The program addresses the risk of major hitchhiker pests, for example khapra beetle and brown marmorated stink bug, that can be carried in and on containers and their contents (around 2.5 million containers arrive each year). Noting that it is not possible to check all containers and that increased screening effort potentially causes delays at ports, the funding aims to better manage the threat of hitchhiker pests through working with industry to design and introduce innovative ways to better profile risk and enable more rapid screening.

The department advised its intent to cost recover for its increased efforts to manage hitchhiker risks through Industry advice notice 226-2022: Changes to biosecurity cost recovery, published 15 November 2022, and in the 2021–22 Biosecurity Cost Recovery Statement (CRIS), published on 25 March 2022. It has also been raised at various industry forums such as the Department’s Cargo Consultative Committee.

The Full Import Declaration charge for sea cargo (Sea FID) for each declared consignment arriving by sea will increase from $49 to $58, commencing 16 January 2023.

Billing arrangements will remain the same with the proposed increase applied to Sea FIDs lodged on or after 16 January 2023.

275-2022: Changes to biosecurity cost recovery - Commencement of cost recovery to manage the risk of hitchhiker pests and diseases - DAFF (agriculture.gov.au)