Potential service delays due to khapra beetle interception (NNF 2020/234)                                                                                                                                                                               

The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has published the below Import Industry Advice Notice and is forwarded for your information, as any service delay will impact on you and your clients.

204-2020 - Notification of the potential service delays due to khapra beetle interception

IFCBAA COMMENTARY

This is not good news for the import industry as the client service standards are already stretched and will no doubt put further strain on resources not to mention additional costs which will ultimately be passed on to the consumers.

IFCBAA understand that the Department has to manage the Khapra Beetle biosecurity risks, however, it is up to the government to ensure the department is properly resourced to deliver a service to the industry as the imports program is cost recovered.

IFCBAA encourage you to send this newsflash to your import clients as this Khapra Beetle emergency response may impact the department’s capacity to meet published service standards in the Client Service Charter over the coming weeks.

IFCBAA CEO, Paul Damkjaer and I will be meeting with the Department Secretary, Andrew Metcalfe this coming Monday, 30 November to address issues that impact on our members in the areas of entry assessment, inspections, post-inspection releases, client contact, and the need for modernisation of the overall end to end'’ biosecurity system to deliver an efficient service to the industry that pays a fee for service.

IFCBAA will keep you informed of any further advocacy developments.


Kind regards,

Zoran Kostadinoski

Head of Border and Biosecurity

Regional Manager VIC|TAS|SA