On April 24, 2024, the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) updated the import conditions for cheese. The main elements are as follows:

(1) An import license must be available, and for countries/territories not approved as FMD-free, the relevant cheese questionnaire needs to be completed;

(2) Milk for making cheese must come from healthy cows, sheep and/or goats;

(3) The cheese has a pH < 6 after fermentation;

(4) The cheese fermentation period is greater than or equal to 30 days;

(5) It must be heat-treated;

(6) The health certificate reflects the following: the species from which the cheese originated; that the cheese originated from a healthy animal; that the cheese has a pH < 6; that the date of production is printed on the packaging or provided to the official veterinarian with the date of production with the number of each lot or batch; a declaration that the milk used to make the cheese was subjected to one of the following heat treatments: a) pasteurization at 72°C for a minimum of 15 seconds; b) ultrahigh-temperature sterilization at 135°C for a minimum of 1 second Sterilization; c) The heat treatment must be approved and issued by a government veterinary officer.