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Any experience with WA Ag (DAFWA) issues bringing food and potted herbs into the Kimberley from the NT?
I am reminded of having our unopened Kununurra-Coles-bought honey confiscated at the road inspection station, when returning westwards the day after. This ABC article is a reminder of how important honey in WA is –
And, I have heard of diligent yachties getting their potting soil in Kalumburu only to find it was bagged in the NT!
Do WA Fisheries inspectors look at other foods and plants?
Any encounters with WA Ag inspectors?
The DAFWA website is somewhat helpful tho’, as Ross mentions for interpreting the Fisheries regulations, a law degree would be helpful –
<https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/exporting-animals/quarantine-frequently-asked-questions>
Tx,
Jeff and Anne-Marie
SY Kaitoro
Mumby Cybercat 48
VJN4817 -
In theory, if you land on WA soil with food such as fresh veggies, fresh fruit, honey etc. you should deposit it in the bin provided by quarantine. Good luck finding the bin in the Kimberley!
Perhaps this is not as silly as it sounds. This is part of a post from a recent Fremantle Sailing Club forum page on this subject. (written by crew off a cruising boat recently arrived in Freo from NSW. Slightly changed for privacy reasons)
“we did not consider our honey until we had reached Fremantle. We rang the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Quarantine) only to be told that we would have to take the offending honey to the International Airport to be disposed of! After ringing the Fremantle Port Authority and finding they had an office at which there was a “quarantine” bin where the honey could be left, we took the honey to this office. We were then given a document stating that honey from NSW had been disposed of there. Not sure who, if anyone, took any notice of this document”
In reality, every vessel leaving Darwin for the Kimberley, whether they be private, charter, commercial fishing or cruise liner, will almost certainly have some food on board they should not be taking into WA under WA quarantine laws.
WA Fisheries have bordered our vessel at sea in the Kimberley, and they were only interested in checking our safety gear, my skippers ticket, our fishing off a boat licenses, and looking for illegally caught fish and illegal crab traps in our possession. There was no interest in looking for quarantine related foods.
The only place I have been instructed to declare what fresh, or unprocessed food I had on board, was when entering Thursday Island from Darwin. I didn’t actually go ashore except to pay for fuel on the wharf. I was told to eat the food or dispose of it before I landed on the mainland, and that Quarantine would be inspecting the vessel when I landed. When we didn’t arrive on the day I predicted, they phoned me on the sat phone to find out when we planned to land. They were waiting for us at Yorkeys Knob, and confiscated our frozen meat and the minimal amount of fresh food we hadn’t eaten. The quarantine inspectors were polite about it, but they certainly weren’t going to let us ashore with any NT food.
My thoughts – Try to do the right thing in the circumstances, and let common sense rule.
Cheers, Ross
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