G/SPS/N/AUS/462  
 
5 December 2018  
(18-7689) 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 and Water 
Resources  
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): bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products  
4. Regions or countries l ikely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: Proposed changes to food safety import requirements 
for bivalve molluscs - December 2018 . Language(s): English.  Number of pages: 29 
6. Description of content: In 2017, Australia released a consultation paper, Proposals for 
changes to the inspection and analysis of imported food - May 2017 . The changes were 
also notified internationally via a WTO/SPS notification (G/SPS/N/AUS/424). One of the 
proposed changes was to restrict the importation of bivalves and bivalve mollusc 
products, unless covered by a foreign government certificate.  
In response to the comments received on the May 2017 consultat ion paper, this second 
consultation paper provides more detail on the scope of products required to have 
government certification, the certification requirements, hazards required to be managed 
and details of border verification testing.  
Australia has prep ared science -based risk statements on the hazards associated with 
bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products and these are published on the Food 
Standards Australia New Zealand website . 
The risk advice emphasises the importance of these hazards being mitigated by 
harvesting bivalve molluscs from approved areas and ensuring producers follow a verified 
sanitation program. Certification will enab le Australia to have assurance that through -
chain production controls are in place to manage the hazards associated with the growing, 
harvesting and production of bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products. This will align 
the regulation of imported biv alves with domestic bivalve mollusc requirements in 
Australia.  
Subject to consideration of issues raised on the proposed changes, it would be expected 
that these changes would take effect from mid 2020.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  G/SPS/N/AUS/462  
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
 Codex Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs CODEX STAN 292 -2008 
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard :  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : mid 2020  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 4 December 2018  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of  publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : mid 2020  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [  ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 8 February 2019  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X ] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
The Australian SPS Notification Authoirity  
GPO Box 858  
Canberra ACT 2601  
Australia  
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
Specific detail is available at https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/bivalve -molluscs .