Prawn imports return

INDUSTRY leaders fear the Federal Government has bowed to foreign pressure and rushed a decision to resume raw prawn imports from today, exposing the country to further biosecurity risks.

Raw prawn imports were suspended for six months on January 6 as an outbreak of white spot disease spread through farms on the Logan River, eventually forcing the entire southeast Queensland prawn farming industry to shut down and destroy all their stock.

Two federal inquiries are investigating circumstances around the outbreak and are yet to deliver their findings however the Agriculture Department confirmed the suspension lapsed yesterday.

Importers face tough new restrictions however prawn industry representatives said they were not convinced the measures would eliminate biosecurity risks.

Queensland Seafood Industry Association chief executive officer Eric Perez said the only way “to stop this bug coming in from overseas is only allowing cooked prawns”.

Vietnam has publicly pressured Canberra to lift the ban and there have been concerns that it would retaliate by banning Australia’s live cattle trade.

Six importers are currently under investigation for failing to meet their obligations under the Biosecurity Act.

Department biosecurity officers told a Senate estimates hearing earlier this year that some importers were allegedly supplying their own samples at the border so they could deliberately import contaminated stock.

Logan River farmers believe these contaminated prawns were the source of the outbreak after being sold in supermarkets and then used as bait.