Berry importers must now declare berry producer when importing from China

Importers of berries from China must now declare the producer of the berries when lodging Full Import Declarations (FIDs) within the Integrated Cargo System (ICS), the Department of Agriculture has announced. The change was announced in light of the Hepatitis A outbreak that has been linked to imported Chinese raspberries.

The change applies to all FIDs lodged in the ICS from 21 February for consignments of berries imported from China that are declared under specific tariff codes:

• 08101000
• 08102000
• 08103000
• 08104000
• 08109000
• 08111000
• 08112000
• 08119000

The Department of Agriculture has stated that, for the purposes of lodging an FID for imported berries, the producer is the commercial or individual’s premises or area in the country of origin where the berries were grown or processed. The producer may also be referred to as the manufacturer, processor, packer or establishment.

Generally, the producer will conduct the final processing or packaging of the berries and their name and contact details will appear on the final bulk or retail packaging.

The department warns that while the producer of the berries may be the same as the exporter/supplier, the producer is not a third-party premises where finished berries are consolidated for export, such as a warehouse or freight forwarder.