In Reply to: Spice / herb farm and coffee /tea farm? posted by Sal on Thursday, 11. December 2008 at 12:36 Bali Time:
Before a recent trip I enquired about the legality of bringing spices into Australia. Reply thus:
Hongning Xu
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service Airports Program
Fax: +61 (2) 6272 3468
Email: airports@aqis.gov.au
Web: www.affa.gov.au/aqis
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your enquiry about bringing spices to Australia.
Quarantine risks are associated with a number of spices and the various
ingredients that can be combined to form mixed spices. Ingredients such
as cloves, allspice, lemongrass and curry leaves are not permitted entry
into Australia due to their potential to introduce exotic pests and
diseases such as citrus canker and guava rust. Therefore spices or foods
containing spices that are brought into Australia must be commercially
prepared and packaged, and contain labelling that fully describes the
product's origin, ingredients and the country of manufacture.
To obtain accurate information for the specific herbs or spices you wish
to bring to Australia you may consult our Import Conditions database
(ICON) at www.aqis.gov.au/icon. This database lists the Quarantine
conditions under which various commodities may be brought into
Australia. Using the ICON search facility, enter the herb or spice into
the 'Commodity' field, insert the country of origin in the 'From
country' field and leave 'All End Uses' in the 'For end-use' field.
Then, click "search" and the database will return the results. If an
AQIS Import Permit is required, or if any other specific conditions
apply, ICON will specify this.
The information available on ICON is the same information that AQIS's
clearing officers use when inspecting and clearing goods arriving into
the country. I recommend that you refer to this database regularly to
keep up to date with any import condition changes by AQIS.
Alternatively, you may email the common or botanical name of the herbs
or spices you wish to bring to Australia to airports@aqis.gov.au.
Items that do not meet the full import conditions listed in the ICON
database must be treated, re-exported or destroyed. Treatment or
re-export costs must be paid for by the importer.
Once passengers arrive in Australia, they are required to complete an
Incoming Passenger Card (IPC). On the IPC, they must declare all items
of food, animal or plant origin as well as any other articles that are
covered on the card (e.g. medicines, wooden articles) - these items are
only examples illustrating the types of items that must be declared
under each category. All items of food, animal or plant origin must be
declared on the IPC for the purpose of inspection by an Australian
Quarantine Inspector.
After passengers have collected their luggage, they will be directed to
a Quarantine Officer who will inspect any declared items and inspect
and/or x-ray any remaining luggage before they depart the international
arrivals area.
I hope this is of assistance to you. If you have any other questions,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards