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WTO notification · SPS

AustraliaProposed measure, may since have been adopted

Crustaceans; in shell or not – Australia

Official title

Guidelines for the evaluation of overseas pre-export testing programs exporting uncooked prawns to Australia

Australia notified this proposed SPS measure to the WTO on 27 November 2025.

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Source: WTO ePing (opens in a new tab). Summaries by Expodite, which is independent of the WTO.

Published here:

At a glance

Products

Uncooked, peeled, deveined and frozen prawns

HS codes
  • 03 · Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
    • 030616 Frozen cold-water shrimps and prawns 'Pandalus spp., Crangon crangon', even smoked, whether in shell or not, incl. shrimps and prawns in shell, cooked by…
    • 030617 Frozen shrimps and prawns, even smoked, whether in shell or not, incl. shrimps and prawns in shell, cooked by steaming or by boiling in water (excl…
    • 030695 Shrimps and prawns, whether in shell or not, dried, salted, smoked or in brine, incl. ones in shell, cooked by steaming or by boiling in water
Notifying member
Australia
Status
Proposed measure, may since have been adoptedNotified as a draft on 27 November 2025. Check WTO ePing or Australia for its current status.
Objectives
  • Animal health
Area
SPS: Food safety, animal and plant healthSanitary and phytosanitary measures
Notification type
Regular notification
Document symbol
G/SPS/N/AUS/625
Keywords
Animal diseases, Animal health

Key dates

Distributed by the WTO
Comment deadline
Not set in the notification
Proposed adoption
Anticipated late 2025.
Proposed entry into force
Assessments welcomed from late 2025.

How to comment

The notification sets no comment deadline. To comment, contact your country's WTO SPS enquiry point, quoting the document symbol G/SPS/N/AUS/625; it forwards comments to Australia.

Find your country's enquiry point on WTO ePing (opens in a new tab)

What the notification says

In June 2023, we published the final report: Review of the biosecurity risks of prawns imported from all countries for human consumption (prawn review). These are the standard import conditions for uncooked prawns: • Processed, with head and shell removed. Prawns may retain the last segment and tail fan. • Frozen and deveined. • Each batch is subject to testing for white spot syndrome virus and yellow head virus genotype 1. Testing occurs pre-export and on-arrival. Australia has obligations under Article 4 of the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) to recognize the existence of equivalent biosecurity measures. We have developed guidelines to provide our trading partners with the principles and criteria that Australia will use to evaluate a pre-export testing equivalence program for prawns. To recognize a pre-export testing equivalence program following consideration of a request from a trading partner, the department will undertake an evaluation of the exporting country’s competent authority. How to obtain a copy of the guideline document For any questions, or to obtain a copy of the pre-export testing guidelines please email aquaticbiosecurity@aff.gov.au. To receive information and updates on biosecurity risk analyses, subscribe to Biosecurity Risk Analysis Animal at subscribe.agriculture.gov.au/subscribe. Subscribers will receive biosecurity advice notices and other notifications about animal…

Sources

Expodite writes its summary from the official record. The notification and the documents it notifies are on the WTO's own websites.

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