On October 20, 2023, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australia (DAFF) issued a new policy notice IFN14 - 23 regarding the import of bivalve molluscs and their products. This new policy will directly affect the export of bivalve molluscs from many countries to Australia.

First, the new regulations explicitly state that starting November 9, 2023, bivalve mollusks and their products (excluding thermally processed shelf-stable products and dried products) imported into Australia must originate from countries officially recognized by Australia. This means countries not approved by Australia will be unable to export bivalve mollusk products to Australia.

Second, DAFF has announced the first list of countries granted import approval, including China and 11 others. However,it is particularly important to notethat bivalve mollusks and their products from certain regions of Japan and South Korea are explicitly prohibited from import into Australia under this list.

Finally, for countries seeking export approval, their competent authorities must submit applications to DAFF by November 9, 2023, and pass its review. Once approved, DAFF will dynamically update and publish the list of permitted importing countries.

Original announcement:IFN 14-23: Update to the webpage for bivalve molluscs and bivalve mollusc products