Low Risk Wooden and Related Articles (LRWRA) Scheme frequently asked questions

• What is the Low Risk Wooden and Related Articles (LRWRA) Scheme?
• What is the difference between the new scheme and the old LRWA Scheme?
• What is the LRWRA Treatment Standard?
• Why was the new scheme developed?
• When will this revised scheme be implemented?
• Key features of the revised LRWRA Scheme
• Further information 

What is the Low Risk Wooden and Related Articles (LRWRA) Scheme

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) completed a review of the Low Risk Wooden Articles (LRWA) Scheme in 2009. The revised scheme will be named the Low Risk Wooden and Related Articles Scheme (LRWRA) and it will replace the LRWA Scheme.

What is the difference between the new scheme and the old LRWA Scheme?

The new LRWRA Scheme includes additional products made from solid wood, plywood, veneer, highly processed bamboo, rattan, cane and willow and wicker.

Five per cent of LRWRA consignments cleared by ICS will be referred to quarantine for physical inspection. All imports of LRWRA will also be subject to AQIS's random surveillance. Commodities imported under the following import conditions may be considered for low risk status:

• Manufactured wooden articles
• Bamboo articles
• Cane and rattan articles
• Willow and wicker articles—dried

What is the LRWRA Treatment Standard?

As a part of the revised LRWRA Scheme, AQIS has developed, in consultation with an Industry Working Group, a LRWRA Treatment Standard to provide guidelines to assist importers to understand AQIS requirements. The standard identifies critical manufacturing processes that may reduce quarantine risks to a suitably low level. It outlines minimum AQIS–acceptable processing/treatments, quality control requirements, substrate requirements for a range of veneered products, and also includes guidelines on AQIS's storage/shipping requirements.

Why was the new scheme developed?

The new LRWRA Scheme was developed to provide clear guidelines for importers of AQIS–acceptable treatments/requirements for manufacturing and storage of products.

When will this revised scheme be implemented?

The revised LRWRA Scheme will be effective from 1 March 2009.

All current LRWA approvals will remain valid until their current expiry dates specified in their approvals. However, consignments with current LRWA approval will now be subject to random 5 per cent physical inspection.

After 1 March 2009, anyone wishing to renew their previous LRWA approval or apply for new LRWRA approval must apply using the new scheme's requirements. 

Key features of the revised LRWRA Scheme

The LRWRA Scheme provides a Treatment Standard that includes a range of treatments and standard processing methods as well as information about independent auditable quality control systems (if any) used by manufacturers.

Importers/suppliers of manufactured wooden and related articles will be able to use the standard as a guide to determine the suitability of their products for inclusion in the scheme, as well as allowing manufacturers overseas to assess if their existing production and storage systems are adequate for the scheme.

Products made from dried leaves, grasses or other plants and products protected only by a permanent timber preservatives are excluded from the scheme.

The revised scheme provides industry with an overview of AQIS's assessment process for LRWRA applications in line with the Treatment Standard.

The revised scheme provides information about AQIS's facilitated clearance mechanisms through the Australian Custom's Integrated Cargo Systems (ICS) and AQIS's compliance mechanisms including profiling/higher rate of inspection owing to detection of a non compliance (wrong products, inadequate documents, live insects, etc.).

The LRWRA Scheme re-introduces the random 5 per cent physical inspection of consignments. This replaces the current LRWA Scheme's random 5 per cent documentary assessment.

Application by an importer/supplier does not guarantee AQIS's approval of low risk status. All applications are subject to assessment of treatment during manufacturing, packaging and storage.

AQIS will review the performance of the scheme/Treatment Standard two years after the implementation of the modified Scheme. AQIS reserves the right to modify, improve or cease the scheme at any time or pending the outcome of future review.

Further information

For further information regarding the LRWRA Scheme, please contact the Timber National Coordination Centre on 03 8318 6929, or email Timber Imports.