G/SPS/N/AUS/231/Add.1  
 
16 September 2014  
(14-5144)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
Addendum 
The following communication, received on 9 September 2014, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Australia. 
 
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 Final import risk analysis report for freshwater ornamental fish from all countries with respect to 
gourami iridovirus and related viruses 
The Department of Agriculture has completed its import risk analysis (IRA): Importation of freshwater ornamental fish: review of biosecurity risks associated with gourami iridovirus and related viruses. New import conditions consistent with the IRAs recommendations will come into 
effect on 1 March 2015. Importation for ornamental purposes of cichlids, poeciliids and fish 
belonging to the subfamilies Luciocephalinae and Macropodusinae of the family Osphronemidae (gouramis, betas and paradise fish) from any approved country will require official health 
certification attesting to the fish being either sourced from a megalocytivirus free compartment, 
zone or country, or being batch-tested negative for megalocytivirus.  
The IRA also recommends that imported consignments of these fish species are subject to an on-
going program of random post-arrival verificati on testing for megalocytivirus as a means of 
monitoring the effectiveness of overseas systems that underpin attestations about source 
population disease freedom or batch testing. A program of post-arrival testing will be implemented as a part of the broader biosecurity reform of orna mental fish imports that will occur over the next 
2-3 years.  
The completed IRA report is available at: http://www.daff.gov.au/ba/ira/current-
animal/ornamental-finfish . 
The draft IRA report was published on the Departments website on 24 March 2009 for a 60-day 
stakeholder consultation period and was published as an SPS notification with reference number G/SPS/N/AUS/231 on 30 March 2009. 
This addendum concerns a: 
[ ] Modification of final date for comments 
[X] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation 
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of  previously notified draft regulation 
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation 
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force 
[ ] Other:   
Comment period: (If the addendum extends the scope of the previously notified 
measure in terms of products and/or potent ially affected Members, a new deadline for 
receipt of comments should be provided, norm ally of at least 60 calendar days. Under 
other circumstances, such as extension of or iginally announced final date for comments, 
the comment period provided in the addendum may vary.)  G/SPS/N/AUS/231/Add.1 
 
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  [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable 
Agency or authority designated to handle co mments: [ ] National Notification Authority, 
[X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of 
other body: 
   Text(s) available from: [ ] National Notificati on Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. 
Address, fax number and e-mail addre ss (if available) of other body: 
    
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