Mail order pet food has been banned in Australia through biosecurity fears

Biosecurity officials say imported animal-based pet food poses too great a risk to the nation's livestock industries.

Those industries are already on high alert over the proximity of foot and mouth disease and African swine fever to our shores.

The biosecurity change came into force today.

Officials fear these diseases, with the potential to cause devastating losses to domestic industries, could piggy back on these mail order pet foods.

Animal-based pet foods often contain beef, pork, lamb, chicken and fish.

Australia's domestic pet food industry is still largely unregulated but now the focus is on imports.

The death of more than 20 dogs across Gippsland last year, later found to have been caused by horse meat containing a plant poison, pointed to the failures of regulating pet food.

There are claims locally produced pet food has become a dumping ground for unwanted or suspect meats.

Government departments are still drafting a response to a long campaign for the introduction of pet food laws.

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE, RSPCA and the Australian Veterinary Association have all said it was time for national regulations to govern the industry.

Some of the more popular foods which are ordered from overseas by mail order have been pet treats like rawhide dog chews.

Those dog chews, for instance, can be sourced from Australia.

The new import order has been sent to government biosecurity officers at international mail centres.

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Importers of animal-based pet food have also been alerted.

The change comes has a result of a risk analysis conducted by the government's Biosecurity Animal Division.

From now on those pet foods arriving by mail will be destroyed.

Importers will be told their goods will be destroyed with no option of re-export unless import conditions are met.

The destruction policy applies only to unregulated animal-based pet food in the mail pathway including when ingredients in the product are unclear.

For products that are clearly non-animal-based pet food, such as vegetarian pet food) the on-shore management requirements remain unchanged.