About Melbourne Fumigation
Transport People Who Happen to Fumigate
Melbourne Fumigation is a DAFF-approved, AFAS-accredited container fumigation company based in Laverton North, Melbourne. Founded in 2021 by Tomas and Marcus Dawson, Melbourne Fumigation provides methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride treatments for import and export cargo across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Melbourne Fumigation holds a Class 12.1 Methyl Bromide Approved Arrangement under the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and is accredited through the Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme (AFAS).
Most fumigation companies come from pest control. Melbourne Fumigation doesn’t.
Tomas and Marcus Dawson built their careers in the transport and logistics industry before launching Melbourne Fumigation in 2021. Tomas worked as a Compliance and HR Manager within the transport sector, where he spent years navigating the regulatory frameworks that govern freight movement across Australia. Marcus served as a Depot Manager, overseeing the daily operations of container yards, managing driver schedules, and coordinating the kind of tight turnarounds that keep supply chains moving.
They didn’t start a fumigation company because they were interested in pest control. They started it because, as transport operators, they’d watched fumigation become the single biggest bottleneck in their supply chains. Containers sat idle for days waiting for treatment certificates. Paperwork went missing. Communication was poor. And every hour a container sat waiting was money their clients were losing.
So they built the company they wished had existed when they were on the other side of the phone.
What Makes Melbourne Fumigation Different
Speed Without Shortcuts
Melbourne Fumigation delivers an 8-12 hour documentation turnaround from treatment completion to certificate issuance. The company integrates with the B.I.E.R.S (Biosecurity Import Export Reporting System) for electronic submission directly to DAFF, cutting out the manual processing delays that plague traditional fumigation providers.
For freight forwarders and customs brokers managing tight vessel schedules, this means containers move through fumigation and back into the supply chain within the same working day in most cases.
Compliance That Actually Holds Up
In container fumigation, a rejected treatment means your client’s cargo goes nowhere. Melbourne Fumigation operates under a DAFF Class 12.1 Approved Arrangement, which authorises the company to conduct methyl bromide fumigation treatments in accordance with DAFF-prescribed methodologies. Melbourne Fumigation is also accredited under AFAS, the Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme, which sets the industry standard for treatment quality and safety.
- Every treatment follows DAFF-prescribed methodology documents
- Every certificate is cross-checked before issue
- Every dosage, temperature reading, and exposure time is recorded and retained
- Zero treatment failures or DAFF rejections across five BMSB seasons (2021–22 through 2025–26)
Built for the Freight Industry
Melbourne Fumigation works almost exclusively with freight forwarders, customs brokers, importers, exporters, shipping lines, and warehouse operators. The company’s Laverton North facility sits in Melbourne’s western freight corridor, close to the Port of Melbourne and the major container depots.
This isn’t a general pest control outfit that does the occasional container on the side. Container fumigation — including BMSB seasonal treatments, import clearance fumigation, and export phytosanitary treatments — is the core business.
Accreditations and Approvals
Melbourne Fumigation holds the following accreditations and approved arrangements:
- Class 12.1 Methyl Bromide Approved Arrangement — issued by DAFF, authorises Melbourne Fumigation to conduct methyl bromide fumigation of containers, cargo, and commodities at its Laverton North facility
- AFAS Accreditation — Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme confirms Melbourne Fumigation meets national standards for fumigation treatment quality, safety protocols, and operational procedures
- Fumigation certificates issued by Melbourne Fumigation are recognised by DAFF for biosecurity clearance purposes
- For importers, this is the difference between a smooth customs release and a container sitting on hold at the port
Our Mission
To eliminate fumigation as a supply chain bottleneck.
That’s not a corporate mission statement dreamed up in a boardroom. It’s the problem Tomas and Marcus experienced firsthand as transport operators, and it’s the reason Melbourne Fumigation exists.
Every operational decision at Melbourne Fumigation is measured against this mission: Does it make fumigation faster for the client? Does it remove friction from the supply chain? Does it give freight forwarders and customs brokers one less thing to worry about?
Our Values
Speed with Safety — Fast turnarounds mean nothing if the treatment doesn’t hold up to DAFF scrutiny. Melbourne Fumigation doesn’t cut corners to save time. The company achieves speed through better systems and tighter processes, not by skipping steps.
Transport-First Thinking — Melbourne Fumigation thinks like transport operators because the founders are transport operators. The team understands container logistics, depot operations, vessel schedules, and the commercial pressures that importers and exporters face every day.
Transparent Communication — No black holes. When Melbourne Fumigation is treating your container, you know what stage the treatment is at, when the certificate will be ready, and whether there are any issues. The company’s direct communication style comes from years of working in an industry where silence costs money.
Commercial Reality — Melbourne Fumigation understands that fumigation is a cost centre for its clients, not a revenue line. The team works to keep treatments efficient and cost-effective, because the goal is to get containers moving, not to run up charges.
Continuous Improvement — The fumigation industry, and the regulations that govern it, change constantly. DAFF updates its methodologies, BMSB season requirements shift, new treatment options like ethyl formate emerge. Melbourne Fumigation stays across every change so its clients don’t have to.