Diseased lime leaf imported fined

Xiao Trading Pty Ltd and its director Channara Khamly, pleaded guilty to illegally importing 160kg of the infected kaffir lime leaves in 2012, and were charged with aggravated illegal importation under the Quarantine Act 1908.

The potentially devastating plant disease is not present in Australia.

After the initial detection by Department of Agriculture biosecurity officers on an incoming sea container, further packets of infected kaffir lime leaves were found in the importer’s cold storage, as well as in retail outlets supplied by the importer.

The Department of Agriculture's First Assistant Secretary of Compliance, Raelene Vivian, said it was an importer’s responsibility to understand Australia’s biosecurity requirements or pay the price.

“In addition to being a legal requirement, accurate and correct declarations of consignments by importers are essential to help protect our unique environment as well as our agriculture sector and economy,” Ms Vivian said.

“When importers intentionally mis-declare consignments they risk bringing in a whole host of biosecurity risk material that can affect us all—and this is a good example of what happens when you get caught.

“Australia’s biosecurity system manages the risks of exotic pests and diseases entering and establishing in Australia—and plant diseases like Asian Citrus Canker could devastate our local industries.

“We want to work in partnership with industry to manage these risks but when there is intentional non-compliance we use the full force of the law to keep Australia free from exotic pests and diseases.”

This successful prosecution was a result of Operation Balmain, a targeted campaign undertaken by the department in 2012 to test industry compliance in declaring imports of biosecurity concern.

Two successful prosecutions have been undertaken as a result of this campaign.

Since 2012 there has been a total of 11 successful prosecutions from this and other similar targeted campaigns.