RURAL TAILGATE INSPECTIION

APPROVED ARRANGEMENT 14.4

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry uses a range of scientific, intelligence and evidence based information when setting the measures for managing the risks associated with arriving goods and cargo.

This includes targeting containers that pose greater biosecurity risks or are from known high risk pathways such as:

Country Action List (AKA CAL) countries, countries with seasonal or emerging pest risks or depending on the location of the final delivery address within Australia.

Which is where Tailgate inspections come into play

All sea containers destined to be unpacked in rural areas are subject to a Rural Tailgate inspection (RTG) at the port of discharge. The requirement for an inspection is based on delivery postcode classifications.

Rural tailgate inspections can be undertaken at a wharf or at an approved metropolitan Approved Arrangement (AA) site. Inspections can be performed by departmental officers or where class 14.4 conditions are met, by an approved Biosecurity Industry Participant (BIP).

Inspection involves the container being directed for an inspection of all external surfaces of the container before opening the doors and checking the doors, seals and floor area close to the door for signs of pests, plant or animal material contaminants and soil.

Rural tailgate inspections consist of an internal and external inspection with exception for the following, which require an external container inspection only:

  • consignments containing dangerous goods

  • consignments containing hard frozen goods

  • Returning Australian meat goods

  • Diplomatic consignments

  • ISO tanks

The initial inspection must be conducted on:

  • a truck with a skeletal trailer that allows good visibility under the container, or

  • a truck with a flatbed trailer with height extended twist locks where the container is raised above the flatbed platform to allow good visibility under the container, or

  • a sea container inspection stand that complies with the specifications for sea freight container inspection stands.

The AA site must have an approved container inspection stand and wash bay in the event that external contamination on the container is detected and cleaning and reinspection are required. Re-inspection of the container must be performed on the inspection stand.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry has released the approved arrangement Class 14.4 Rural tailgate inspection and integrated this arrangement into BICON and associated class 19 systems and policy. Class 14.4 authorises the BIP operating either class 1.1 or class 1.3 (with approved class 4.3 wash bay facilities) sea and air freight depot to perform the rural tailgate inspection, where directed, on certain container types destined for unpacking in a rural destination.

Here, at Western Container Services we are the first Aussie, Family owned and operated shipping container depot in Sydney to gain the Approved Arrangement 14.4 Classification which means you can access Rural Tailgate with the speed of a manned depot but without rank wait times. You could have your container back on the road in a matter of minutes with our live tailgate service.

Sea containers with a commodity risk are ineligible for this class and will continue to be inspected by a biosecurity officer. Where detection of contamination that is not permitted to be managed by Western Container Services or where any concerns within the container are found, it must be reported to the department and re-inspected by a Biosecurity officer.