Unpeeled Indian prawns: a quiet “lift” or noisy politics? Either way, the risk lands on Australian fishers
- Dane Van Der Neut
- Oct 22
- 3 min read
India’s announcement. During a visit to Australia this week, Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh declared that Australia has granted its first import approval for unpeeled Indian prawns, calling it the lifting of a long-standing ban. Indian media framed it as a breakthrough for exporters under pressure elsewhere.
Where negotiations are at. Australia and India are still working on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). The existing ECTA deal continues, while CECA is the upgrade still being negotiated. It is entirely possible the minister is referring to an in-principle understanding inside those talks. If so, Australians would not see anything reflected in BICON until the Government actually implements the commitment domestically. Negotiations do not change border rules. BICON does.
What is BICON? BICON is the Department of Agriculture’s Biosecurity Import Conditions system. It is the live rulebook that importers, brokers and inspectors use at the border. When the Government changes biosecurity settings, the new conditions appear in BICON. If it is not in BICON, it does not apply at the wharf.
Why consumers should care. The risk is not to your health. White spot disease (WSD) does not affect humans. You can eat cooked prawns with confidence. The real risk sits with supply and sovereignty. If biosecurity pressure increases and local waterways are restricted, Australia’s sustainable wild-caught prawn industry carries the cost. That means fewer local prawns on counters, more reliance on imports, and regional fishing families squeezed again.
Why unpeeled Indian prawns raise the stakes
Unpeeled means more of the animal remains attached. That raises two problems.
Disease presence risk. White spot virus can be present in raw prawn tissue. Cooking kills it, freezing does not reliably do so. The more tissue and external surface you bring in, the more chance a batch carries viral material.
Diversion to bait. The 2016–17 incursion highlighted the risk of raw retail prawns ending up as bait. That pathway is precisely what strict measures are designed to choke off. If unpeeled raw prawns start arriving from a white spot affected source, the risk profile for diversion rises, along with the compliance burden for already stretched inspectors and labs.
What white spot has already done to Australian fishers
Clarence River, NSW. In 2023 white spot was confirmed on prawn farms within the Clarence estuary. Intensive biosecurity, fallowing and decontamination followed. Through 2024 and 2025, detections in nearby waters triggered and extended Control Orders that restrict the movement of raw crustaceans. Fishers have dealt with lost seasons, income stress and ongoing uncertainty. The Clarence story is not theoretical. It is lived experience, and it is still shaping decisions on gear, effort and finance today.
Moreton Bay and the Logan River, Qld, 2016–17. White spot struck multiple farms on the Logan River, then turned up in wild crustaceans in parts of Moreton Bay. Sweeping movement controls followed, including bans on moving raw prawns, yabbies and marine worms out of the zone. The episode cost prawn farmers tens of millions of dollars, with ripple effects through bait shops, processors and wild-catch crews. Compliance pressure was intense. People changed how they worked, what they bought, and where they went, virtually overnight.
These events explain why Australian settings for raw prawn imports have focused on risk-reduction steps such as removing head and shell, removing the gut, freezing, batch testing before export and again on arrival, and very clear “not for bait” labelling.
What the Government should say now
If the Indian minister is correct, Australians deserve clarity. The Trade Minister should publicly guarantee one of two things:
No agreement has been made to admit unpeeled raw prawns from white spot affected countries, or
If there is an understanding in CECA talks, how risks will be managed, when changes would occur, and exactly when BICON will be updated so industry can prepare.
My own hope is simple. I hope the Indian minister is lying or at least speaking prematurely. Until we hear a clear guarantee from our Trade Minister, fishers in places like the Clarence and Moreton Bay will assume the worst. They have earned that caution.
What consumers can do
Keep enjoying Australian seafood. White spot poses no health risk to humans, only to prawns and other crustaceans.
Never use imported raw prawns as bait.
When you can, choose wild-caught Australian prawns. You are backing local jobs, better traceability and higher standards.
Bottom line
India’s claim lands in the middle of sensitive, ongoing trade talks. If it is true, it should be confirmed with a plain statement and a clear pathway. If it is not, the Government should say so just as plainly. Either way, the health of Australians is not at risk from white spot. The health of Australia’s wild-caught prawn industry is.
We have seen what happens when the importation of green prawns from 3rd world countries prawn farms does to our local fishing communities. The government department responsible for monitoring the green prawns that are imported, are just not up for the job.
Obviously the testing of every batch of prawns imported would be extremely expensive which allows infected prawns into our waterways . People who buy green prawns with the warming “Do not use for bait”, probably ignore that warning not realising the consequences of doing so.
I urge every fisherman, every consumer of wild caught Australian prawns to write to your local member urging the government to Not Allow green prawns into Australia at all.
Protect and…