As set out in the Biosecurity Advice 2021-A04 (https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/risk-analysis/memos), the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment initiated an assessment in response to stakeholder requests for an alternative heat treatment for fish and fish products for use as pet food and stockfeed imported into Australia.
This draft assessment uses infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV), the most thermochemical treatment-resistant aquatic animal virus, as the minimum standard for aquatic pathogen inactivation. The department has undertaken this assessment to determine if IPNV is inactivated by the proposed heat treatment.
Based on the outcomes of the assessment, the department proposes that the following changes to import policy are made:
− The current heat treatment of 100 °C for no less than 30 minutes for fish products containing salmonid material, be reduced to a moist heat treatment of at least 85 °C for at least 25 minutes, or at an equivalent time and temperature agreed to by the department;
− The current heat treatment of 80 °C for no less than 20 minutes for fish products containing non-salmonid material be increased to a moist heat treatment of at least 85 °C for at least 25 minutes, or at an equivalent time and temperature agreed to by the department;
− The current restrictions on the percentage of salmonid material contained in the fish products (no more than 2%) will no longer apply.
The department invites comments on technical aspects of the proposed measures. The department is interested in your comments regarding these measures providing equivalent risk management outcomes when compared to the current measures.
The department will carefully consider all submissions before finalising the assessment of existing policy. A further Animal Biosecurity Advice will be issued following the consultation period.
The department invites you to comment on the draft review by 1 November 2021.
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