About Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF)

The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) was established under the Biosecurity Act of December 2008. It is a Public Enterprise under the Public Enterprise Act 2019.

Our mandated responsibilities as per the Biosecurity Act 2008 encompass:

1. to protect the Fiji Islands against the entry of regulated pests and diseases affecting animals, plants, human beings and the environment;
2. to carry out surveillance and monitoring of pests and diseases in the Fiji Islands and assess the status of regulated pests and diseases;
3. to prevent the establishment and spread of regulated pests and diseases and the release of organisms that might    adversely affect animals, plants, human beings and the environment in the Fiji Islands;
4. to eradicate, contain or control the movement of regulated pests and diseases that are already present in the Fiji Islands;
5. to prevent the introduction and spread of regulated pests and diseases not already present in the Fiji Islands;
6. to facilitate the safe importation of animals and plants and their products, and related equipment and technology;
7. to facilitate the export of animals and plants and their products in accordance with the biosecurity requirements of the receiving countries;
8. to facilitate international cooperation to prevent the spread of pests and diseases affecting plants, animals, human beings and the environment.

The Biosecurity Act 2008 is the primary legislation that provides for the regulation and control of the movement of animal and plants into, out of and within Fiji. Inherent in this primary legislation are the powers to give effect to the relevant conventions of the WTO, IPPC and OIE, the provision of land and buildings for quarantine purposes, and the power to make Regulations.

Our Vision

To be respected as the most effective and efficient Biosecurity Authority in the Pacific region.

Our Mission

Our mission is to protect Fiji’s unique biodiversity and facilitate international trade to and from Fiji. Each of us will work together to protect Fiji: our people, our environment, our plants and animals, our livelihoods and our unique way of life for the benefit of our families, our visitors and our future generations. We will do this through:

• Actively assisting to grow existing and open new trade markets for Fiji’s agricultural exports whilst ensuring safe imports; providing advice to government and overseeing policy on Biosecurity matters to minimize risk to the health of our communities and plants;
• Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with our trading partners;
• Agreements, Codex, World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and other international standards;
• Meeting our obligations to World Trade Organization (WTO) and Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS);
• Working collaboratively with government sectors, industry, community, regional and international bodies;
• Respecting, developing and motivating our employees to perform their tasks with efficiency, empathy and pride;
• Monitoring, controlling and where possible, eradicating existing animal and plant pests and diseases;
• Using our technical and technological expertise to carry out surveillance to prevent the entry of animal and plant pests and diseases;
• Being a self-sustaining customer focused commercial entity, providing an adequate return on investments to our shareholder.

Our Values

1. Vigilance – We will protect Fiji from plant and animal pests and diseases
2. Professional and ethical conduct – We are ambassadors for our organization and our country in all we do and say
3. Empathy – We will put ourselves in their shoes
4. Teamwork – We encourage partnership and collaboration
5. Integrity – We will serve in the best interests of Fiji
6. Leadership – We will share our expertise and vision to inspire others
7. Reliability – We will use transparent evidence-based analysis to enable sound decision-making
8. Innovation – We will always look for better ways to do things