Bigrows Fresh
Wholesale Export Solutions
Incoterms are international rules for the interpretation of trade terms. Incoterms make international trade easier and help traders in different countries to understand one another. These standard trade definitions that are most commonly used in international contracts are protected by ICC copyright.
To assist traders to understand the areas that the 11 Incoterms cover and how each one works, the official ICC website now publishes the Preambles to each term in read-only format, together with basic information and background.
The Preambles do not spell out the obligations of buyer and seller, which are essential for correct use of Incoterms. This information may be obtained by consulting the full published texts of the 11 Incoterms, available online from ICC Publishing.
‘HS’ stands for Harmonised System or, in its long-form, the ‘Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System’. Developed in 1988 by the World Customs Organisation (WCO), HS Codes are typically 6- to 10-digit figures that all goods require for international transport. The system is enforced in Australian law by the Customs Tariff Act.
There are thousands of HS Codes, and each code describes specific goods. All customs agencies are able to identify these goods easily using the number associated with the particular commodity.
The Australian Government prohibits the export of certain goods from Australia.
You can however export most prohibited goods with written permission, provided you meet certain conditions and requirements. Having said that, some goods are under absolute prohibition, which means you are not allowed to export the goods in any circumstance.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) website provides general guidance on prohibited goods, including:
Which goods are prohibited
Where to send a request to export your goods
Where to obtain more information
A searchable list of prohibited goods
The Department of Agriculture provides information on export controls and assistance for exporting agricultural goods from Australia, visit: www.agriculture.gov.au or call: 1800 900 090
Export commodities controlled by the department are listed or ‘prescribed’ in the legislation. Prescribed goods—or goods included in a class of prescribed goods—include:
- milk and milk products
- eggs and egg products
- fish and fish products
- live animals
- meat and meat products
- poultry meat and poultry meat products
- rabbit and ratite meat and rabbit and ratite meat products
- wild game meat and wild game meat products
- organic products
- plants and plant products
- wood and woodchips
Australia Fresh – horticulture.com.au/hort-innovation/our-work/trade-and-export
Australian Horticultural Exporters Association – horticulturetrade.com.au/index.php?page_no=19
Meat & Livestock Australia’s Red Meat Exporters Database – australianredmeatexporters.mla.com.au
Seafood Australian Seafood Industry Directory – sea-ex.com/austwholeslsfd/austsfdindtydirry.htm
The Export Council of Australia (ECA) conducts fee-paying short professional development courses and accredited courses. Please visit the ECA website for more information. Several state and territory governments run programs and events to help businesses learn the basics of international trade. Please check the website of your state government or find out more about assistance offered by them.
The often complex nature of international trade means that you may need to include specific clauses in your contracts with overseas buyers. Such specific terms may also depend on the market you are exporting to and the legal environment of that market.
A contracts terms set out the rights and obligations of the parties in regard the their transaction. Terms maybe referred to as clauses or "terms and conditions". What matters is that these all refer to the agreed legally binding rights and duties between the parties. If there is ever a dispute in relation to your transaction, the written terms will be the primary and often only source of truth for what the parties intended.