Importing Biologicals

Quarantine and the Department of Agriculture – Biosecurity (DAg-B)

The Department of Agriculture (DAgB, nee AQIS) is a Federal government regulator which:

  • monitors all product imports and some exports;
  • accredits organisations undertaking quarantine work; and
  • prosecutes breaches of Quarantine Regulations under the Quarantine Act 1908.

Import Permits

Some imported materials require an Import Permit. To find out which commodities require an Import permit you should search http://bicon.agriculture.gov.au/Bicon.

Some Import Permits require the material to remain under Quarantine Containment until destruction i.e. within a Quarantine Approved Premise (QAP), or in some cases a PC1 or PC2 lab is sufficient (as stipulated on the Import Permit).

BEFORE working with quarantine material you must do the Government approved training in order to be accredited to handle quarantine material.

Note:- Quarantine and Physical Containment facilities are not interchangeable i.e. a PC2 lab cannot be used to work on quarantine material unless DAg-Biosecurity specifically stipulates that either:

  1. the material has been released from quarantine; or
  2. that the material is released to a PC1 or PC2 facility.

Getting premises accredited to quarantine containment is a very lengthy process, so do consider carefully if your research involves work with imported biologicals, and notify the IBC as soon as possible, so that they can determine if your work can be conducted within a facility at UNE.