Biosecurity imports levy crucial to protecting Australia’s borders

AUSVEG

AUSVEG, Australia’s peak industry body for the vegetable industry, is calling on the federal government to deliver the biosecurity imports levy, which is due to raise more than $100 million per year, to protect Australia’s borders from pests and disease.

The levy applies to all​ containerised (including empty containers) and non-containerised cargo imported into Australia by sea and will support a smarter and more efficient biosecurity system that protects our agricultural production, trade and environment.

AUSVEG CEO James Whiteside said farmers already shoulder a large burden of cost for Australia’s biosecurity system, and that it reasonable for others involved in the international supply chain to take on a fairer share, given that many pests and diseases have the potential to be transported to Australia via these supply chains.

“Biosecurity affects everybody,” Mr Whiteside said.

“Our borders are at constant threat from pest and disease incursions that have the potential to decimate crops and livestock, impact farmers’ livelihoods, damage the local environment and cripple regional and rural industries that rely on a strong, thriving agriculture sector to survive.”

“The flow on effects of pests and disease incursions are significant, not only to producers, but to consumers and everyday people in big cities. If a pest or disease comes in, it can wipe out an industry. The fact is, that as trade continues to increase, so does our biosecurity risk, and there is a cost involved with that.”

“What would happen to Australia if we had cases of Xylella come in and wipe out our wine industry? Or African swine fever decimates the pig industry, as is a very real threat right now? Not only would the impact on our local economy, tourism, small and medium businesses be catastrophic, but it would threaten our food security and potentially lead to more food being imported and higher costs for food for consumers.”

“We market ourselves as a country with a clean and green image and a large amount of our $60 billion agriculture industry is built on that. If we lose it, the agriculture industry, and the very food on your table, will be at risk.”

AUSVEG supports the federal government and the Minister for Agriculture Bridget McKenzie who is tasked to bring in the biosecurity imports levy and supports the introduction of the levy as soon as possible, given it has already passed its most recent deadline of 1 September this year.

“It can take one international container or passenger to bring in a pest or disease that can wipe out an entire industry – we saw stories last week of an international passenger who was trying to smuggle 4.5 kilos of raw pork into the country at a time when around 50 per cent of pork products seized at international airports are testing positive for African swine fever.”

“It doesn’t matter whether a pest or disease comes in by a traveller or a shipping container – the outcome is still the same. It is critical that there is sufficient government support and investment in biosecurity to protect the environmental and economic interests of the agriculture industry.”

“Biosecurity is a shared responsibility between the commonwealth, state governments, growers and citizens at large, so it is appropriate that our importers take a bigger role in funding our biosecurity systems given they are a significant pathway for pest and disease incursions.”

/Public Release.