Proposed lodgement questions for cheese (NNF 2018/073)

Dear CBFCA members,

Following consultation with customs brokers and the Imported Food Consultative Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is implementing importer declarations for cheese.

Importer declarations are being introduced to improve how raw milk cheese and cheese in which the growth of Listeria monocytogenes can occur are referred for inspection and analysis. This follows a review of the current lodgement questions, which indicated that customs brokers were having difficulty answering the questions correctly, due to their complexity. This resulted in ‘risk cheese’ being incorrectly referred as ‘surveillance cheese’ and vice versa.

To address the concerns with cheese, the department is recommending that all goods lodged under tariff chapter 0406 (Cheese and curd), excluding parmesan, be asked:
 

Is the cheese made from unpasteurised milk?

If yes, complete the ‘Importer declaration for cheese made from unpasteurised milk’. Search ‘Importer declarations’ at www.agriculture.gov.au for more information.

Is the cheese covered by an ‘Importer declaration for cheese’?

This declaration enables the importer to demonstrate that the cheese does not support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. Search ‘Importer declarations’ at www.agriculture.gov.au for more information.

If the cheese is made from unpasteurised milk, it will fail unless the raw milk cheese is accompanied by an ‘Importer declaration for cheese made from unpasteurised milk’. This includes Roquefort cheese from France, which must also meet certification requirements. RMC 05-2016 specifies the requirements to import raw milk cheese into Australia.

If the cheese is not made from unpasteurised milk, it will be considered ‘risk cheese’ unless it is accompanied by an ‘Importer declaration for cheese’, providing information on why the cheese does not support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes.

Cheese considered to support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes (i.e. those consignments lodged without importer declarations) will (if referred for inspection/analysis) be analysed against the standard of no detectable Listeria monocytogenes in 25 grams.

Cheese accompanied by an importer declaration demonstrating that the cheese does not support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, will be analysed (if referred for inspection/analysis) against the standard of no more than 100 colony forming units of Listeria monocytogenes per gram.

Please contact myself or Tania Martin ([email protected]) if you have any feedback on the proposed lodgement questions by COB Friday, 6 April 2018.
 

Following finalisation of the lodgement questions we will proceed to implement these changes. An Imported Food Notice will be issued 30 days before the changes commence.

Kind regards,

Stuart Elliott
Imported Food | Compliance Policy

E [email protected]