News
Australia: Seasonal measures affect Swiss exporters
Aug 11, 2023
The brown marmorated bug (BSMB) is spreading rapidly in Europe and North America. To protect the local ecosystem from the stink bug, Australia's Department of Agriculture issues seasonal measures, which also affect affect Swiss companies, as Switzerland is classified as a risk country. What needs to be considered?
Who is affected?
The seasonal measures relate to exporters of certain product groups that are shipped from the risk countries to Australia by sea freight. These product groups include: wood, textile and glass products, raw materials, vehicles or parts thereof. You can see which other product groups are affected by this in the complete list on the Department of Agriculture's website.
What do you have to consider?
The containers that carry goods from the affected product groups must be heat-treated or fumigated before shipping. The Australian government only accepts BMSB (Brown marmorated stink bug) treatment certificates from recognized providers. Containers that do not arrive in Australia with a certificate will be returned at the exporter's expense.
Target high risk goods shipped between 1 September 2025 and 30 April 2026 (inclusive) require mandatory treatment. We recommend that you get in contact with your customs broker to ensure that the guidelines are followed correctly. The BMSB seasonal measures are available on the BMSB webpage.
