1.

Notifying Member: Australia

If applicable, name of local government involved:  

2.

Agency responsible: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources

3.

Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable): All imports into Australia

4.

Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:

[X]    All trading partners  

[ ]      Specific regions or countries:  

5.

Title of the notified document: Replacement of the Import Conditions (ICON) system with the new Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system  Language(s): English  Number of pages:  

6.

Description of content: The new Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system replaces and improves upon the Import Conditions (ICON) system that has provided Australia's biosecurity import conditions and the ability to apply for import permits for a number of years.

BICON will make the biosecurity import conditions clearer, provide better guidance on the documentation requirements, and improve the ability to search for import conditions and to find the information that is relevant to an importation scenario.

Australia's biosecurity requirements are not changing as a result of BICON's implementation.

BICON replaces ICON as the source of Australia's import conditions on 9 November 2015. The full transition to BICON for import permit applications is expected to be completed by December 2015.

Further details and access to the system can be obtained at

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/bicon.

7.

Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [X] animal health, [X] plant protection, [X] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from other damage from pests.  

8.

Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:

[ ]        Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex standard or related text)  

[ ]        World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic Animal Health Code, chapter number)  

[ ]        International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)  

[X]      None

Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard? 

[ ] Yes   [ ] No

If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the international standard:  

9.

Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available: BICON is only available in the English language.

Further details and access to the system can be obtained at

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/bicon.

10.

Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy): 9 November 2015 for import conditions; 23 November 2015 for all import permit applications

Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy): BICON was made publicly available for use on 19 October 2015.

11.

Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication, and/or (dd/mm/yy): 9 November 2015 for import conditions; 23 November 2015 for all import permit applications

[ ]      Trade facilitating measure  

12.

Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification and/or (dd/mm/yy): Not applicable

Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [ ] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e?mail address (if available) of other body:

The Australian SPS Notification Point

GPO Box 858

Canberra  Act  2601

Australia

E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au

13.

Text(s) available from: [ ] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e?mail address (if available) of other body:

Not applicable