Over 1 million tonnes of fertiliser cleared through Australia's biosecurity system since February

The Albanese Labor Government continues to ensure fertiliser gets to Australian farmers, with more than 1 million tonnes of imported urea cleared through Australia’s strict biosecurity system since February 2026.

Backed by the Albanese Labor Government’s more than $2 billion investment in additional biosecurity resourcing, this has helped to keep our food production system moving.

In April, the Government introduced streamlined biosecurity processes for fertiliser in recognition of the pressures placed on fertiliser supply globally from the war in the Middle East, including:

• Certification from an authorised inspector offshore that the goods are free of biosecurity risk material
• A requirement for importers to provide bagged samples for inspection by a biosecurity officer prior to entry
• Simplified offshore entity registration and streamlined onshore inspections for compliant pathways

These streamlined, but not compromised, biosecurity border processes will help to get fertiliser to Australian farmers faster.

This is supporting food security in Australia, and in the nations that rely on our agriculture exports, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.

The changes uphold the existing key requirement for imported inorganic fertiliser to be free from contaminants, and do not compromise Australia’s strict biosecurity protocols.    

Biosecurity Officers from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry continue to undertake rigorous inspections of fertiliser arriving at Australian seaports and will act immediately if contamination is found.

Imported fertiliser that is contaminated could significantly impact our agricultural and horticultural industries, our unique environment, and cost the economy billions of dollars.  

There are over 1,000 biosecurity officers now working across Australia’s international airports, seaports and international mail centres, and around 60 detector dogs and 60 dog handlers, thanks to the Albanese Labor Government’s investment to strengthen our biosecurity system.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins MP:

“The Albanese Labor Government has been working around the clock to get fertiliser to our farmers, because we know this is critical to keeping our food production moving.

“This includes streamlining, but not compromising, biosecurity processes for fertiliser imports, and helping to secure additional supply from our international trading partners.

“Our rigorous biosecurity system has cleared over 1 million tonnes of imported urea since February, and streamlined processes are helping to get this to our farmers faster.

“Our Government will continue working with our farmers and producers to help them manage the disruption from the war in the Middle East, which is impacting globally.”