With effect from 22 May 2017, it’s no longer a requirement for companies shipping shrimp to Australia to declare that consignments have not been sourced from a farm or fishing zone where white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has been confirmed in order to raise a permit request to export to the market.
On 22 February 2017, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources implemented the requirement for an exporter declaration stating that their shrimp were sourced from a zone free of white spot disease. This requirement was implemented in response to the department’s December 2016 notification to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) confirming detection of the disease in black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) in Southeast Queensland.
The disease was subsequently found in multiple shrimp farm sites on the Logan River, south of Brisbane.
While initial investigations were conducted into the outbreak’s possible pathways, the Australian government placed a ban on imports of the frozen crustacean.
Last week, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources also confirmed it would be conducting a review of the import conditions for shrimp and shrimp products for human consumption. This review will consider the biosecurity risks for these imports from all countries and recommend appropriate import conditions to manage these.
It will be conducted through a comprehensive non-regulated risk analysis of existing imports.
According to the Australian Prawn Farmer’s Association (APFA), the country’s shrimp farming industry is one of the smaller volumetric producers in the world, producing approximately 5,000 metric tons (MT) of product annually with a farm gate value estimated to be AUD 87.7 million (USD 65.4 million, EUR 58.2 million). It is, though, one of the most productive industries, with an average yield of more than 9,000 kg per hectare.
Farms are currently located in two Australian states – New South Wales and Queensland.
Combining wild-capture and aquaculture operations, Australia’s shrimp industry generates AUD 360 million (USD 268.5 million, EUR 239.1 million) annually.
