Sea Container Risk Management Policy

Tim ChapmanExecutive Manager

Quarantine Operations DivisionBiosecurity Services Group

Slide 2

In the beginning …

• UK 2001 outbreak of foot & mouth disease

• Risk uncertainty

• Mandatory intervention on all cargo from 2002 – Increased Quarantine Intervention

• External inspection of every arriving sea container

Slide 3

Risks – soil & plant material

Shipping container contamination

• Roof

• Sides

• Doors

• Twist locks

• Underside

Slide 4

Risks - Insects

Insect ‘hitch-hikers’

Slide 5

Risks - Snails

Laying eggs in crevices

Slide 6

External Container Inspection Regime 2002-09

• Approx 2 million containers per annum

• 24hr / 7 day inspections at ports

• High labour costs

• Routine washing referral

• Supply chain delays

• Inflexible

• Limited analysis

Slide 7

Policy direction

“ Australia’s biosecurity system will be most effective if resources are targeted to those areas of greatest return from a risk management perspective ”

One Biosecurity: A Working Partnership

Beale et al 2008

Slide 8

Analysis

• Only 296 containers with confirmed exotic specimens - equal to 1 on 17,600 containers on low risk pathways

• No evidence of foot & mouth disease pathway

• Increasing cleanliness

• Reduction in detections

• High degree of awareness

• High rate of compliance

Slide 9

Consultation

• Biosecurity Australia – technical advice

• ABARES – data

• Regional AQIS staff – operations

• Interest groups – rural

• AQIS/Industry Cargo Consultative Committee – logistics and industry impact

• Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis (ACERA) – modelling and validation

Slide 10

Objectives

• Risk-based decision-making

• Biosecurity continuum

• Flexibility - adaptation

• New analytics

• Continuous review

• Enhanced reporting

Slide 11

Methodology

• AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 to estimate current levels of risk and predict effects of strategies

• Incremental introduction to stakeholders

• Enabling stakeholders to amend practices and assume new responsibilities, supported by information and training packages

• Improved operational effectiveness throughout transition period

Slide 12

Strategies - Phase I

Implemented nationally 1 July 2010

• mandatory intervention (ECIR) phased out for low risk pathways

• 100% continued intervention on higher risk pathways including rural consignments

• 100% inspection of (43) Country Action List

Slide 13

Strategies - Phase II

• Offshore capacity building

- New Zealand

- Treatment initiatives

• Industry co-regulation

• Rewards for compliance

• More detailed pathway analysis

Slide 14

SCRMP Summary

• Introduces risk management

• Utilises data, science, logistics & communication across complex high value supply chain

• Eliminates unnecessary regulatory barriers

• Identifies & rewards compliance

• Enables resources to focus on significant and emerging biosecurity risks

Slide 15

Questions …