a day ago
'Die due to depression': woman's pet parrots denied entry to Australia
A pair of "beautiful" green and blue-feathered "family members" has been denied entry to Australia because they pose too great a biosecurity risk.
Shadoon and Shellman's owner has spent two years wrangling with authorities to bring her pet parrots into the country which she claims will "die due to depression and dependency" in Iran without her.
Despite providing identity certificates, health checks and vaccination documents - and offering to fly the Indian ringneck parrots via Qatar to New Zealand for quarantining - the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry rejected Mehri Shafiei's import application.
That decision was upheld on June 12 by the Administrative Review Tribunal.
While accepting Ms Shafiei had gone to great lengths to reduce risks the birds could carry avian influenza or Newcastle disease into the country, tribunal member Stewart Fenwick said the evidence was consistent "there has been a high biosecurity risk identified".
"The former carries grave implications for the Australian poultry industry and the latter is highly contagious," Mr Fenwick said in his decision in Melbourne.
Mr Fenwick acknowledged Ms Shafiei, an Australian permanent resident, had experienced "depression over separation from Shadoon and Shellman" and had travelled to Isfahan in Iran where they live just to spend time with them.
She described the parrots, aged nine and six, as "cute feathered family members".
The tribunal heard the agriculture department received between 100 and 120 import applications each year like Ms Shafiei's, which were also denied.
"It is evident that a policy decision was made some time ago to prohibit the import of psittacines, and that a considerable amount of effort has been invested in considering the future of this import trade," Mr Fenwick said.
"It is not reasonable to take account of the sentimental importance of the pets to Ms Shafiei."
He noted the birds had clear "sentimental importance" to their "devoted" owner.
"It is important to observe that Ms Shafiei presents as a sincere and loving pet owner," he said.
"I fully accept that she has cared for Shadoon and Shallman and, indeed, appears to have been so concerned about them that she spent additional time in Iran to be with them during the life of this application."
In his decision, Mr Fenwick noted the Psittacula krameri species was a long-lived and popular pet and "a natural mimic".
Shadoon and Shellman had "beautiful green and blue plumage respectively".
"Unfortunately, the steps taken - largely it seems with a view to facilitating their import to Australia - including, in particular, vaccination, have not contributed to reducing the high level of biosecurity risk arising from the importation of psittacines from Iran," Mr Fenwick said.
"As noted at the outset, publicly available information from the Victorian government indicates that this exotic species is identified as a pest, as unpleasant as this reality may seem to the applicant."
Australia's strict biosecurity laws attracted international attention in 2015 when then-agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce decided US actor Johnny Depp's dogs, Pistol and Boo, would have to be put down or deported.
Ms Shafiei originally applied for a permit to import the birds on June 23, 2023.
This was refused by the agriculture department in July and October of the same year.
She then applied to the Administrative Review Tribunal in November to have the decision reviewed.
A pair of "beautiful" green and blue-feathered "family members" has been denied entry to Australia because they pose too great a biosecurity risk.
Shadoon and Shellman's owner has spent two years wrangling with authorities to bring her pet parrots into the country which she claims will "die due to depression and dependency" in Iran without her.
Despite providing identity certificates, health checks and vaccination documents - and offering to fly the Indian ringneck parrots via Qatar to New Zealand for quarantining - the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry rejected Mehri Shafiei's import application.
That decision was upheld on June 12 by the Administrative Review Tribunal.
While accepting Ms Shafiei had gone to great lengths to reduce risks the birds could carry avian influenza or Newcastle disease into the country, tribunal member Stewart Fenwick said the evidence was consistent "there has been a high biosecurity risk identified".
"The former carries grave implications for the Australian poultry industry and the latter is highly contagious," Mr Fenwick said in his decision in Melbourne.
Mr Fenwick acknowledged Ms Shafiei, an Australian permanent resident, had experienced "depression over separation from Shadoon and Shellman" and had travelled to Isfahan in Iran where they live just to spend time with them.
She described the parrots, aged nine and six, as "cute feathered family members".
The tribunal heard the agriculture department received between 100 and 120 import applications each year like Ms Shafiei's, which were also denied.
"It is evident that a policy decision was made some time ago to prohibit the import of psittacines, and that a considerable amount of effort has been invested in considering the future of this import trade," Mr Fenwick said.
"It is not reasonable to take account of the sentimental importance of the pets to Ms Shafiei."
He noted the birds had clear "sentimental importance" to their "devoted" owner.
"It is important to observe that Ms Shafiei presents as a sincere and loving pet owner," he said.
"I fully accept that she has cared for Shadoon and Shallman and, indeed, appears to have been so concerned about them that she spent additional time in Iran to be with them during the life of this application."
In his decision, Mr Fenwick noted the Psittacula krameri species was a long-lived and popular pet and "a natural mimic".
Shadoon and Shellman had "beautiful green and blue plumage respectively".
"Unfortunately, the steps taken - largely it seems with a view to facilitating their import to Australia - including, in particular, vaccination, have not contributed to reducing the high level of biosecurity risk arising from the importation of psittacines from Iran," Mr Fenwick said.
"As noted at the outset, publicly available information from the Victorian government indicates that this exotic species is identified as a pest, as unpleasant as this reality may seem to the applicant."
Australia's strict biosecurity laws attracted international attention in 2015 when then-agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce decided US actor Johnny Depp's dogs, Pistol and Boo, would have to be put down or deported.
Ms Shafiei originally applied for a permit to import the birds on June 23, 2023.
This was refused by the agriculture department in July and October of the same year.
She then applied to the Administrative Review Tribunal in November to have the decision reviewed.
A pair of "beautiful" green and blue-feathered "family members" has been denied entry to Australia because they pose too great a biosecurity risk.
Shadoon and Shellman's owner has spent two years wrangling with authorities to bring her pet parrots into the country which she claims will "die due to depression and dependency" in Iran without her.
Despite providing identity certificates, health checks and vaccination documents - and offering to fly the Indian ringneck parrots via Qatar to New Zealand for quarantining - the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry rejected Mehri Shafiei's import application.
That decision was upheld on June 12 by the Administrative Review Tribunal.
While accepting Ms Shafiei had gone to great lengths to reduce risks the birds could carry avian influenza or Newcastle disease into the country, tribunal member Stewart Fenwick said the evidence was consistent "there has been a high biosecurity risk identified".
"The former carries grave implications for the Australian poultry industry and the latter is highly contagious," Mr Fenwick said in his decision in Melbourne.
Mr Fenwick acknowledged Ms Shafiei, an Australian permanent resident, had experienced "depression over separation from Shadoon and Shellman" and had travelled to Isfahan in Iran where they live just to spend time with them.
She described the parrots, aged nine and six, as "cute feathered family members".
The tribunal heard the agriculture department received between 100 and 120 import applications each year like Ms Shafiei's, which were also denied.
"It is evident that a policy decision was made some time ago to prohibit the import of psittacines, and that a considerable amount of effort has been invested in considering the future of this import trade," Mr Fenwick said.
"It is not reasonable to take account of the sentimental importance of the pets to Ms Shafiei."
He noted the birds had clear "sentimental importance" to their "devoted" owner.
"It is important to observe that Ms Shafiei presents as a sincere and loving pet owner," he said.
"I fully accept that she has cared for Shadoon and Shallman and, indeed, appears to have been so concerned about them that she spent additional time in Iran to be with them during the life of this application."
In his decision, Mr Fenwick noted the Psittacula krameri species was a long-lived and popular pet and "a natural mimic".
Shadoon and Shellman had "beautiful green and blue plumage respectively".
"Unfortunately, the steps taken - largely it seems with a view to facilitating their import to Australia - including, in particular, vaccination, have not contributed to reducing the high level of biosecurity risk arising from the importation of psittacines from Iran," Mr Fenwick said.
"As noted at the outset, publicly available information from the Victorian government indicates that this exotic species is identified as a pest, as unpleasant as this reality may seem to the applicant."
Australia's strict biosecurity laws attracted international attention in 2015 when then-agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce decided US actor Johnny Depp's dogs, Pistol and Boo, would have to be put down or deported.
Ms Shafiei originally applied for a permit to import the birds on June 23, 2023.
This was refused by the agriculture department in July and October of the same year.
She then applied to the Administrative Review Tribunal in November to have the decision reviewed.
A pair of "beautiful" green and blue-feathered "family members" has been denied entry to Australia because they pose too great a biosecurity risk.
Shadoon and Shellman's owner has spent two years wrangling with authorities to bring her pet parrots into the country which she claims will "die due to depression and dependency" in Iran without her.
Despite providing identity certificates, health checks and vaccination documents - and offering to fly the Indian ringneck parrots via Qatar to New Zealand for quarantining - the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry rejected Mehri Shafiei's import application.
That decision was upheld on June 12 by the Administrative Review Tribunal.
While accepting Ms Shafiei had gone to great lengths to reduce risks the birds could carry avian influenza or Newcastle disease into the country, tribunal member Stewart Fenwick said the evidence was consistent "there has been a high biosecurity risk identified".
"The former carries grave implications for the Australian poultry industry and the latter is highly contagious," Mr Fenwick said in his decision in Melbourne.
Mr Fenwick acknowledged Ms Shafiei, an Australian permanent resident, had experienced "depression over separation from Shadoon and Shellman" and had travelled to Isfahan in Iran where they live just to spend time with them.
She described the parrots, aged nine and six, as "cute feathered family members".
The tribunal heard the agriculture department received between 100 and 120 import applications each year like Ms Shafiei's, which were also denied.
"It is evident that a policy decision was made some time ago to prohibit the import of psittacines, and that a considerable amount of effort has been invested in considering the future of this import trade," Mr Fenwick said.
"It is not reasonable to take account of the sentimental importance of the pets to Ms Shafiei."
He noted the birds had clear "sentimental importance" to their "devoted" owner.
"It is important to observe that Ms Shafiei presents as a sincere and loving pet owner," he said.
"I fully accept that she has cared for Shadoon and Shallman and, indeed, appears to have been so concerned about them that she spent additional time in Iran to be with them during the life of this application."
In his decision, Mr Fenwick noted the Psittacula krameri species was a long-lived and popular pet and "a natural mimic".
Shadoon and Shellman had "beautiful green and blue plumage respectively".
"Unfortunately, the steps taken - largely it seems with a view to facilitating their import to Australia - including, in particular, vaccination, have not contributed to reducing the high level of biosecurity risk arising from the importation of psittacines from Iran," Mr Fenwick said.
"As noted at the outset, publicly available information from the Victorian government indicates that this exotic species is identified as a pest, as unpleasant as this reality may seem to the applicant."
Australia's strict biosecurity laws attracted international attention in 2015 when then-agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce decided US actor Johnny Depp's dogs, Pistol and Boo, would have to be put down or deported.
Ms Shafiei originally applied for a permit to import the birds on June 23, 2023.
This was refused by the agriculture department in July and October of the same year.
She then applied to the Administrative Review Tribunal in November to have the decision reviewed.
