July 3, 2026
Peanut growers have called for the immediate destruction of suspect shipments of imported peanuts after learning that illegally imported raw peanuts have been entering Australia unchecked.
Peanut growers, researchers and processors at the recent Ag Horizons forum in Kingaroy were aghast to learn that illegal peanuts were flowing into Australia without intervention, despite the serious biosecurity and food safety risks involved.
“Australian peanut growers are bound by endless rules and regulations, yet our government is turning a blind eye to people who ignore the rules and are knowingly trading in blackmarket peanuts from who knows where,” Childers peanut grower Chris Russo said.
Member for Maranoa David Littleproud recently raised the alarm about illegal peanut imports.
Mr Littleproud said importers appear to be deliberately miscoding products on customs documentation to avoid biosecurity requirements.
“It appears that no one has a clue where these blackmarket peanuts were actually grown, how they were grown and how they’ve been handled since they were harvested,” Mr Russo said.
“Yet our peanuts grown here in Childers have to have full traceability and every load is tested for potential food safety risks.
“Just because the dodgy paperwork says ‘Product of China’, how can anyone actually be certain where they really came from?.
“I’ve even heard rumours that these blackmarket peanuts are landing in Australia and being re-packaged into bags that say ‘Product of Australia’ yet the Federal Government seems to be doing nothing to stop this blatant flaunting of our laws and biosecurity standards.”
Kingaroy peanut grower Peter Howlett, said the importation of raw peanuts could wipe out the entire peanut production in Australia.
“The peanut industry is a core part of the Wide Bay Burnett’s $1.63 billion agricultural industry and supports hundreds of regional jobs, yet our government has not taken steps to stop black market peanuts from entering Australia,” Mr Howlett said.
“Countries like Brazil and Argentina carry peanut smut, a devastating disease not present in Australia which can slash peanut yields between 40 and 70 per cent.
“The government must act before the it’s too late. These blackmarket raw peanuts need to be recalled and destroyed without delay.
“Our government seems to be taking a very casual approach to biosecurity enforcement” Mr Howlett said.
“They don’t seem to understand that once an exotic disease enters Australia, the damage cannot simply be undone.
“Growers are doing their part. We need the Federal Government to do its part and ensure Australia’s borders are adequately protecting our industries from preventable threats.”
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