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The Department of Agriculture has released the 2020-2021 Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) seasonal measures. 

The stink bug is no news to industry participants. Its potential catastrophic effects on our agricultural crops have forced the Department of Agriculture to take incrementally stringent measures each BMSB season, which is considered in review to the previous season. 

 

The 2020-2021 BMSB Season will be in place for certain goods shipped and arriving from the 1st of September 2020 to the 31st of May 2021 inclusive.  

Any Target High Risk or Target Risk goods which are manufactured in or shipped from the target risk countries, will be subject to BMSB seasonal measures. 

However, BMSB measures do not apply to goods that departed from the country of origin during the BMSB season, but arrived to Australia from the 1st of June 2021, onwards.

Containers packed before September 1 and shipped on or after, may not require treatment. This is subject to certain conditions and verification processes.  

Please ensure that any LCL/FAK container that is referred for onshore BMSB treatment, remains intact until treatment is complete. 

 

Some key changes to take note of: 

• The expansion of the measures to 37 target risk countries, in order to include Portugal, Moldova, Ukraine & Kazakhstan (Japan is also included for heightened vessel surveillance only)
• Target High Risk and Target Risk Goods remain unchanged 
• Class 4.7 is available and consignment suitability has really been focused on
• Random checks will be conducted to goods from emerging risk countries 

 

Exempt Goods From BMSB Measures 

Safeguarding Arrangements Scheme 

The Safeguarding Arrangements Scheme provides an alternate clearance pathway to mandatory treatment, for goods imported as sea freight during the BMSB risk season. Safeguarding Arrangements will only be considered for offshore supply chains that also meet the following criteria. 

Approval requires:  

Goods imported into Australia by a single importing entity that has a valid Australian Company Number (ACN) and/or Australian Business Number (ABN), AND; 

• A secure supply chain from manufacture to embarkation location 
• A minimum import volume of 50 TEU or 25 FEU during the BMSB seasonThe scheme is also available for Break Bulk with a minimum volume of 5000 vehicles or 5000 units during the BMSB season.  

The scheme is also available for Break Bulk with a minimum volume of 5000 vehicles or 5000 units during the BMSB season.  

 

New Unused and not Field Tested (NUFT) Goods 

New Machinery, vehicles, and complex equipment manufactured on or after December 1, 2020 may receive concessional treatment. The goods must be new, unused and not field tested (NUFT) and fall under Tariff Chapters 82,84,85,86,87,88 and 89. Shipments with Target High Risk goods of other Chapters shipped in the same consignments, will not receive concessional treatment. 

NUFT declarations may be accepted if they: 

• Are specific to the goods shipped with a link. 
• Specify the manufacturing date or range of dates. 
• Specify the place of manufacture.

 

If manufacturing and packaging of the goods took place in the same factory and the goods did not sit outside crated at any point, they will be exempt from BMSB measures.  

If goods are commercially packaged and sealed undercover, they are exempt from BSMSB treatment, regardless of country of origin.  

 

Guidelines for Effective BMSB Treatments 

During the 2019/2020 BMSB season, there was a series of fumigation failures. The affected consignments had to get retreated onshore or exported from Australia. Resulting in doubling the fumigation costs. To avoid such errors, BTi Logistics has put together a set of guidelines for effective BMSB treatments, that can be found here. 

 

Class 4.7 

Whilst the Department of Agriculture prefers offshore BMSB treatment, treatment options are available in Australia. Please note that, where an Australian treatment provider deems goods unable to be treated at container level due to space / packing material issues, the container must be moved to a class 4.7 facility for further assessment. This is certainly worth noting as there are a limited number of such facilities across Australia and we witnessed major congestion last year which led to significant additional fees, hence why offshore treatment is the most desirable option. For your reference, a list of currently approved treatment providers based offshore can be found here.  

You may want to consult us prior to packaging your goods to avoid having them moved to a class 4.7 facility, which can lead to significantly increased fees as mentioned above. BTi Logistics offers Trade & Customs Consultancy services headed by top industry professional John Chambers, with over 30 years of industry expertise.  

 

What makes a consignment suitable for treatment in a container? 

1. The fumigant or heat must be able to reach all external and internal surfaces of the goods. 
2. The fumigant or heat must be able to be evenly distributed throughout the treatment enclosure.  Fans may be needed to create effective distribution. 

 

BTi Logistics is here to help  

We encourage importing businesses to review the 2020/21 BMSB measures and start discussions with suppliers and freight forwarders, prior to shipping, to ensure their cargo meets all seasonal requirements. 

If your containerised cargo needs to undergo fumigation treatment, please note that BTi Logistics QAP facilities in Melbourne have a fumigation pad, about to receive approval for an increased capacity of 12 x 40ft, plus 3 x 20ft containers. A QAP wash bay and bonded storage are also available at our Melbourne warehouse facility.

BTi Logistics will continue to keep our clients and partners informed to ensure we work through the seasonal quarantine measures with minimum delays and costs.