Australia Places Delhi-Based Ambey Pest Control Under Review Over Biosecurity Concerns
Chennai:
Port Wings News Network:
Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has listed Delhi-based fumigation services provider M/s Ambey Pest Control (AEI: IN1125MB) as ‘under review’ on its official List of treatment providers following the identification of biosecurity concerns.
According to a latest trade notification no 153-2026 issued by the DAFF on 9 September 2026, treatment certificates issued by the company “will no longer be accepted” for goods arriving in Australia, regardless of whether they were issued before or after the status change. The ‘under review’ date is recorded in the summary of recent changes on the department’s list.
DAFF may direct any consignments or goods treated by Ambey Pest Control, including those already in transit, for additional actions deemed necessary to manage the associated biosecurity risk. Consignments are considered in transit once they have left the country of origin but have not yet cleared Australian border controls.
On arrival, these goods will be managed according to conditions set out in the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON). The notice affects a wide range of stakeholders in the import and shipping industries, including vessel masters, freight forwarders, offshore treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers, principal agents and master consolidators.
Specific guidance applies to goods treated during the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) risk season and to treatments targeting the khapra beetle.
Importers of BMSB-risk goods are directed to the department’s “Preparing to import goods during BMSB season” webpage, which details how different consignment types treated by an under-review provider will be handled.
For khapra beetle measures applying to high-risk plant products and sea containers, information is available on the urgent actions webpage, including dedicated in-transit policies for goods and containers. Ambey Pest Control, based in New Delhi, has operated since 2015 as a service provider offering container fumigation, methyl bromide treatments, warehouse and commodity fumigation, ISPM 15 certification and various pest-control services for commercial and logistics clients.
The action against Ambey forms part of a broader pattern of heightened scrutiny of offshore treatment providers, particularly those in India operating under the Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme (AFAS).
In recent months DAFF has placed multiple Indian providers under review or suspended them after identifying indicators of non-compliance or critical failures in treatment processes. A July 2026 industry notice addressed the management of in-transit consignments treated by 13 Indian fumigation providers that had been suspended or withdrawn following compliance verification activities.
Earlier in the year, Australian officials conducted audits of facilities in Punjab and Haryana, leading to suspensions that left dozens of basmati rice containers facing potential rejection or costly remedial treatment.
These measures reflect Australia’s strict approach to preventing the entry of high-risk pests such as the khapra beetle — a destructive stored-product pest — and the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, both of which pose significant threats to agriculture and the environment. When a provider is listed as under review, certificates are treated as unacceptable from the published change date, and consignments may face inspection, re-treatment, export or other risk-mitigation steps on arrival.
Industry participants are advised to verify the current status of any offshore treatment provider on DAFF’s List of treatment providers before arranging fumigation and to monitor BICON for the latest import conditions. The review of Ambey Pest Control is ongoing; further updates will be published if the company’s status changes.
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