Date of issue: 6 September 2023
Date of effect: 6 September 2023
Attention
Registered dairy exporters, manufacturers, agents, freight forwarders and approved export permit issuers.
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) - Central and Regional offices.
Purpose
To notify export registered establishments that require departmental sealing of air or sea freight containers of:
- a change in the appearance of official marks, specifically bolt seals and tamper-indicative metal strap seals,
- the implementation date and ordering process for the new seals, and
- the application process available for export registered establishments to put a self-sealing program in place.
Key points
Following a recent tender process, a change in appearance of bolt seals and tamper-indicative metal strap seals will occur.
The implementation date for these changes is 1 October 2023.
The existing bolt seals and tamper-indicative metal strap seals must cease being applied on
30 September 2023.
The department will be notifying trading partners of the upcoming changes, including the appearance of the new seals to facilitate a smooth transition and prevent any disruptions to trade.
Establishments are advised to ensure adequate stock levels of current bolts and seals to see through exports until 30 September 2023. Please email VEMGPlanning&Coord@aff.gov.au should stock levels be inadequate to meet this timeframe.
Further information regarding the destruction procedure of current seals will be provided in due course.
Department seals are required where there is an importing country requirement for Australian government seals to be applied for air and sea containers prior to departure. In the event a department seal is not applied to a container where it is required (for example, liquid milk to the USA and FIJI) there is risk the consignment may be detained on arrival and may jeopardise market access.
Please refer to the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MICoR) for clarification on markets which require an Australian government seal.
Where it is a requirement for the container system unit to be sealed with an official mark, the following colour seals must be used:
- For prescribed goods, green bolt seals
- For non-prescribed goods, blue bolt seals
- Air freight consignments, flat metal seals.
Appearance of the new seals
Ordering new seals for initial rollout
The department has contracted Mega Fortris Pty Ltd to supply and deliver official seals directly to stakeholders.
An updated seal ordering form is available on the department’s website Ordering forms for Container and Tamper-indictive seals.
- Seal consignments will be delivered by Direct Freight Express couriers.
- The order form has been changed to include additional stakeholder delivery details to assist the courier, Direct Freight Express to find the nominated location.
- The department will continue to receive all seal orders to vemgplanning&coord@aff.gov.au
- It is preferred that the seal order form is typed for ease of review and to ensure correct delivery details are used.
Step by step instruction
- Complete all fields of the seal order form.
- Forward the completed seal order form to vemgplanning&coord@aff.gov.au.
- Mega Fortris Pty Ltd will receive your seal order from the department and process the order – if received by Mega Fortris Pty Ltd prior to 11.00am EDST it will be despatched the same day.
- Your order can be tracked using the email address provided in the seal order form.
- Direct Freight Express will deliver your order, depending on your location in 1-10 business days Australia wide.
Self sealing programs
Export registered establishments requiring departmental sealing of air or sea freight containers can obtain approval to apply these seals themselves.
Whilst the department may be available to seal a container, having a self-sealing program (program) allows establishments to maximise flexibility and potentially reduce charges by applying department seals to containers without the presence of a departmental officer. It is important to note that applying a government seal outside of an importing country requirement is a significant breach of your approved sealing program.
Self-sealing programs are to be documented as part of the establishment’s approved arrangement. Once a program is documented it will be subject to review and approval before it can be implemented.
The program must detail:
- approved person(s) responsible for managing self-sealing requirements
- how seals are ordered
- how seals are secured
- how seals are used and for what purpose/countries
- issuing of seals at an establishment
- inter-company seal distribution (where applicable)
- how damaged seals are managed
- information provided for export certification
- how seals are reconciled and frequency
- corrective actions and verification controls.
Applications for self-sealing approval for dairy storage establishments should be submitted to AuditServices@aff.gov.au assessment.
Applications for self-sealing approval for dairy manufacturers should be submitted to dairyeggsfish@aff.gov.au for assessment.
Definitions
The following table defines terms used in this notice.
|
Term |
Definition |
|
Official mark – tamper-indicative metal strap seal |
As defined in the Export Control Rules 2021. For example, in the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) 2021, Part 2: 8‑7 Official mark—tamper‑indicative metal strap seal A seal that:
is an official mark for the purposes of the Act. |
|
Official mark – bolt seal |
As defined in the Export Control Rules 2021. For example, in the Export Control (Meat and Meat Products) 2021, Part 2: 8‑8 Official mark—bolt seal A seal that:
is an official mark for the purposes of the Act. |
Contact information
If you have any questions, please contact officialmarks.exportmeat@aff.gov.au.