The Australian Department of Agriculture has once again introduced a mandatory treatment for certain commodity groups that are transported by sea freight from defined risk countries to Australia and New Zealand for the 2025/26 season. According to the authorities, the requirement applies from September 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026. The aim is to prevent the introduction of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. The pest originates from Asia and causes significant damage to agricultural crops.
Affected goods and risk countries
The provisions cover a wide range of products, including goods made of wood, cork, aluminium, carpets, stone, as well as glass, iron, and steel products. Australia has classified 41 origin countries as risk. These include, among others, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Italy.
Requirements on place and timing of
treatment
According to the Australian authorities, the prescribed place of treatment depends on the mode of loading. Full container loads can be treated either in the exporting country or after arrival in Australia. Consolidated loads in a consolidation container must, however, be treated before shipment in Europe. For open containers, vehicles, flat racks and break bulk, there is a mandatory treatment in the exporting country.
For all land-treated containers, a maximum period of 120 hours applies until loading onto the vessel. This rule applies to Australia only until December 1, 2025.
“The BMSB regulations of the Australian government are very strict and are enforced without exceptions upon import,” explains Stefan Hilse, Category Director at the S&A Service and Application Technology GmbH. “Due to our certification by the Australian Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and our many years of experience with all types of transports to Australia and New Zealand, we can safely and effectively free export goods from pests."
Approved methods and conditions
The Australian government recognises both heat treatments and fumigations with sulfuryl fluoride, methyl bromide, or ethyl formate. In Germany, alongside heat treatment, fumigation with sulfuryl fluoride is the only method permitted. During fumigation, a minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius must be maintained inside the container, according to the requirements.
The goods and the packaging units must be suitable for fumigation. Gas-tight enclosures such as sealed pallets are not permitted. According to the regulations, instead an open wrapping, such as nets, is required. In addition, there must be enough space in the container to allow the
gas to distribute evenly.
Consequences of missing certificate
Unloading of the goods in Australia is only possible with a valid BMSB Treatment Certificate. If this document is not available, authorities may order the destruction of the goods or require re-shipment at the sender's expense. Exporting companies are therefore obliged to pre-check whether their products belong to risk-prone commodity groups. They must also account for the additional treatment costs and potential delays in the supply chain.
Certified treatment companies in Germany
In Germany, S&A Service and Application Technology GmbH is, according to its own statements, one of the few companies currently approved by the Australian authorities to carry out the prescribed treatments. The company is regularly audited and has heated halls, so the treatments are also possible during the winter months.
