In Reply to: Luwak Coffee - Warning posted by Rodger on Friday, 2. July 2010 at 08:07 Bali Time:
Thank you for your enquiry. A permit is required to import Kopi Luwak. Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is charged with ensuring Australia's favourable human, animal and plant health status is maintained. Products of animal origin or products that have been passed through an animal, like Kopi Luwack coffee, could pose a quarantine risk as they may contain diseases or pests that are exotic to Australia.
I have attached the following link from the Quarantine Import Conditions database, www.aqis.gov.au/icon. This database lists the Quarantine conditions under which various commodities may be imported into Australia. The information available on ICON is the same information that AQIS's clearing officers use when inspecting and clearing goods arriving into the country.
Applications to AQIS for import permits for Kopi Luwak require a rigorous assessment to evaluate quarantine risks and apply appropriate measures to manage these risks. In support of any application details of full ingredients and processing are required to be supplied by the manufacturer of the product.