Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00876:reg:5:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00876
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 5 (pt 1/2)
Character Range: 2893–6043

5  Reasons for making this determination
Note: This section sets out the reasons for making this determination in its original form. This determination has been amended by:
                 the Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination 2017; and
                 the Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination (No. 2) 2017; and
                 the Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination (No. 3) 2017; and
                  * the Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination (No. 4) 2017.
 The reasons for making these amendments are set out in the amending determinations.
For subsection 182(5) of the Act, my reasons for making this determination are as follows:
 (a) I am satisfied that uncooked imported prawns (including prawn meat) represent an unacceptable level of biosecurity risk, applying Australia's ALOP, for the following reasons:
 (i)  Excepting the current outbreak, WSSV is exotic to Australia.
 (ii) All prawn species imported into Australia are susceptible to infection with WSSV and WSSV is capable of surviving freezing, storage and transport to Australia.
 (iii) Therefore there is a high likelihood that WSSV could enter Australian territory with imported uncooked prawns.
 (iv) The use of imported uncooked prawns as bait in recreational fishing carries a likelihood of infecting crustaceans, including farmed prawns, in Australian river systems.
 (v)  Imported prawns are used as bait or berley by fishers.
 (vi) This means there is the potential if WSSV enters Australian territory with imported uncooked prawns, that it will become established in Australian territory. This likelihood is moderate for farmed prawns.
 (vii) Where WSSV becomes established in a location, it is likely to spread by both natural distribution, including carriage of crustaceans by birds, and through commercial distribution.
 (viii) WSSV has the potential to cause harm to animal health. WSSV has a wide host range and can infect many life stages of crustaceans. Prawns, freshwater crayfish and other crustaceans known to be susceptible to WSSV infection are common in freshwater and marine environments throughout Australia.
 (ix) The entry, establishment and spread of WSSV has the potential for economic consequences in the form of serious prawn aquaculture losses in the domestic industry. Australian prawn aquaculture has a value of $86.3 million in 2014-15.
 (b) Further, recent investigations have identified that:
 (i) There is an unacceptable level of WSSV in imported uncooked prawns at the retail level. These uncooked prawns had been inspected, tested and cleared for entry into Australia.
 (ii) Fishers have been using imported uncooked prawns for human consumption as bait. Observations by the department's compliance officers in Queensland confirm this has occurred recently and that the prawns being used were found to be WSSV positive.
 (c) WSSV could therefore potentially enter, establish itself, and/or spread in Australia through uncooked prawns imported for