G/SPS/N/AUS/550  
 
1 November 2022  
(22-8177) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  AUSTRALIA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and 
Forestry  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Fish and fish products for use as pet food and stockfeed  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Animal Biosecurity Advice 2022 -A07 - Heat treatment as 
a risk management measure for fish and fish products for use as pet food and s tockfeed . 
Language(s):  English . Number of pages:  3 
6. Description of content:  As set out in Animal Biosecurity Advice 2022 -A07 
(https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/risk -analysis/memos ), from 31 October 2022, 
revised import conditions will apply for fish and fish products imported into Australia for 
use as pet food and stockfeed.  
Following public consultation on a review of a prescribed heat treatment and a further 
review of scientific information, revised import conditions for fish and fish products 
imported into Australia for use as pet food and sto ckfeed are as follows:  
• Fish product material of salmonid origin for use as pet food and stockfeed must have 
been treated to meet the following condition:  
o Moist heated to a core temperature of at least 85  °C for at least 25 minutes, or, to 
an equivalent cor e temperature and specified time agreed by the department.  
o The current restrictions on the percentage of salmonid material contained in the 
fish products (no more than 2%) will no longer apply.  
• Fish products containing only material of non -salmonid fish fo r use as pet food and 
stockfeed (excluding non -salmonid fish products sourced from New Zealand) must 
meet existing conditions:  
o Moist heated to a core temperature for at least 85  °C for at least 15 minutes, or, at 
least 80°C for a least 20 minutes, or to an  equivalent core temperature and 
specified time agreed by the department.  
• All fish products must have been processed and packaged in premises approved by and 
under the control of the Competent Authority  
• All fish products must have been manufactured from in gredients which have not been 
derived from terrestrial or avian animals. This includes egg products, dairy products 
and feathers.  
An alert to the new conditions will be published in the Australian Biosecurity Import 
Conditions  database  (BICON)  at 
https://bicon.agriculture.gov.au/BiconWeb4.0/Home/Notice/ . G/SPS/N/AUS/550  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food safety, [X]  animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related tex t):  
[X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) : Section  10 of the World Organization 
for Animal Health (OIE) Aquatic  Animal Health Code  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [X] No  
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) has 
standards for pasteurised fish products for any purpose related to diseases listed by the 
WOAH in the relevant chapters of Section 10 of the Aquatic Animal Health Code. 
The Departm ent of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has undertaken this assessment 
based on infection with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV), which is not currently a 
disease listed by WOAH. However, IPNV is exotic to Australia, and a disease of concern t o 
Australia. Therefore, the changes to import policy are based on the outcomes of this 
assessment.  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 31 October 2022  
Proposed date of publ ication (dd/mm/yy) : 31 October 2022  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) : 31 October 2022  
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [  ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry  
GPO Box 858  
Canberra ACT Australia 2601  
Tel: +(61 2) 6272 3933  
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au  
Website: http://www.agriculture.gov.au  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [  ] Nation al Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry  
GPO Box 858  
Canberra ACT Australia 2601  
Tel: +(61 2) 6272 3933  
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au  
Website: http://www.agriculture.gov.au