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Sheepskin seat covers and Quarantine Inspection? Sheepskin seat covers and Quarantine Inspection?
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  #1  
Old 24 Sep 2008
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Cool Sheepskin seat covers and Quarantine Inspection?
We have some sheep skin seat covers in our vehicle. When our vehicle returns from an overland trip to North Asia will the sheep skins be an issue with AQIS?
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Old 24 Sep 2008
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Old 24 Sep 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris D (Newcastle NSW) View Post
We have some sheep skin seat covers in our vehicle. When our vehicle returns from an overland trip to North Asia will the sheep skins be an issue with AQIS?
If they are dirty in any way.. they will be an issue... it would be all to easy for a "bug" or "seed" to be transported in ...

see here
Import Conditions Database - ICON - AQIS
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Old 24 Sep 2008
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It will depend entirely on the AQIS inspector and what particular bee he has up his derriere at the time. They are generally good and helpful, but wont bend too much.

In theory they can insist the vehicle be cleaned to "as new" condition. If you know that you've got an item that is dirty, get it cleaned or risk AQIS either cleaning it for you ($$$$$$) or having it destroyed at your expense ($$$). If the items cant be cleaned on the wharf, the costs just get out of hand.

Some parts of Northern Asia are Foot and Mouth endemic, so expect some serious looking for mud and crud on the underside of the vehicle, if they find that, then the rest of the vehicle gets flagged and gets a more serious going over.

Do things that give the inspector a warm fuzzy feeling - bug strips in the vehicle, an invoice for steam cleaning the underside and spraying disenfectant over the whole vehicle.
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Old 25 Sep 2008
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Can the covers be dry cleaned .. or put through a washing machine? If they are very clean at the inspection they should go through .. The alternative is to give them away before you leave (chose someone who is good to you - they can sell them or use them) .. and buy new ones when you get back.

Clean = good .. even if they are not 'dirty' they can get bug in them .. so wash them .. bit of smelling disenfectant wont do any harm to the inspector either ..
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Old 7 Nov 2008
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Post the sheepskins
Hi,
We just returned to Aus with our bikes. We took the sheepskins off and sent them from Asia by post (much cheaper than replacing them if AQIS decided they didn't like them). Make sure you have the vehicle pressure cleaned in all the nooks and crannies. We found the AQIS inspector fair, he could see we had made an effort to clean them and seemed happy. He inspected them in the crates, he spent more time checking our personal effects we had put in the crates with the bikes.

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Old 23 Nov 2008
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personal stuff ? pfff....
pfff..... mine was quite picky about the bike. (had sawdust from making the crate over it.)

the personal stuff that was in the crate he totally ignored :-) (maybe he didn't even realized that they were part of the shipment as well ?)


(sydney port, at patricks)
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Old 24 Nov 2008
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Our sheepskin seat covers were not an issue at either end of the shipping
Bris - Vancouver return.
First impressions are very important, we spent many hours making sure the bikes were spotless

Were we lucky??? maybe!

Hey Chris when do you leave??

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Old 24 Nov 2008
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When I brought my Burgie back to Melbourne last month from Italy it was absolutely filthy - months of accumulated mud and dirt, mainly from Kazakhstan.

The dealer in Rome who crated the bike had promised they would clean it with a high pressure hose before crating but seemingly forgot about that. In order to try and avoid problems with AQIS I aranged to meet them at the shipping depot and sweet talk them, if needed, to avoid the huge steamcleaning bill. I arrived at the freight terminal at the appointed time only to find AQIS had already been and gone and had approved it!

This is the 2nd time I have brought a bike back from overseas and each time I have had no problems with AQIS whatsoever.

Just the luck of the draw it seems.

Garry from Oz.
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