AUSTRALIA is increasing the number of biosecurity inspectors and inspections under the Department of Agriculture and Water Resource's new automatic entry processing (AEP) model.
The new measure will also include a wider range of commodities and changes to government verification, said Peta Lane, first assistant secretary of the department's compliance division.
'Whilst the project will provide greater capacity to expand, there [will be] training through the Continued Biosecurity Competency (CBC) programme and enhancements to Australia's Biosecurity Import Conditions system, BICON,' she said.
New rules will also require custom brokers to conduct document assessments for additional biosecurity measures, such as inspection or fumigation, reported Perth's Aircargo Asia Pacific.
The federal government will also raise a corps of 'Indigenous Biosecurity Rangers' that will employ 69 groups of rangers along the 10,000 kilometres of northern Australian coastline and Torres Strait Islands.
'We have set aside A$35 million (US$25.8 million) in contingency funding, ready to go if we do face an incursion we need to stamp out,' said Junior Biodiversity Security Minister David Littleproud.
'Another A$7.6 million over five years will establish and appoint an ongoing Environmental Biosecurity Protection Officer and staff within the Department of Agriculture,' he said.
'This officer and his or her staff would prepare plans and invest in projects to keep out environmental threats including the Asian black spined toad, which is similar to the cane toad,' said Mr Proudfoot.
The new measure will also include a wider range of commodities and changes to government verification, said Peta Lane, first assistant secretary of the department's compliance division.
'Whilst the project will provide greater capacity to expand, there [will be] training through the Continued Biosecurity Competency (CBC) programme and enhancements to Australia's Biosecurity Import Conditions system, BICON,' she said.
New rules will also require custom brokers to conduct document assessments for additional biosecurity measures, such as inspection or fumigation, reported Perth's Aircargo Asia Pacific.
The federal government will also raise a corps of 'Indigenous Biosecurity Rangers' that will employ 69 groups of rangers along the 10,000 kilometres of northern Australian coastline and Torres Strait Islands.
'We have set aside A$35 million (US$25.8 million) in contingency funding, ready to go if we do face an incursion we need to stamp out,' said Junior Biodiversity Security Minister David Littleproud.
'Another A$7.6 million over five years will establish and appoint an ongoing Environmental Biosecurity Protection Officer and staff within the Department of Agriculture,' he said.
'This officer and his or her staff would prepare plans and invest in projects to keep out environmental threats including the Asian black spined toad, which is similar to the cane toad,' said Mr Proudfoot.