2015-08 - Administrative changes to the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (Accounting and Traceability Declaration)

​22 May 2015

Species: Feeder and slaughter cattle and/or buffalo
Country: All export markets
For information:

1. Livestock exporters
2. LiveCorp / ALEC / MLA
3. Department of Agriculture Live Animal Exports Officers

Purpose

To advise exporters of an update to the Accounting and Traceability Declaration required for consignments of cattle and/or buffalo exported for feeder and slaughter purposes.

This Export Advisory Notice (EAN) will replace the requirements set out in EAN 2014-11.

Background

It is a condition of approved Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Systems (ESCAS) for cattle and/or buffalo that, as per EAN 2014-11, exporters provide the Department of Agriculture (department) with an Accounting and Traceability Declaration. This declaration must be signed by a person nominated in management or control of the livestock export business and submitted with each Independent Performance Audit Report (IPAR).

The department recently issued EAN 2015-06 which introduced revised risk based auditing requirements under ESCAS. The Accounting and Traceability Declaration template has been updated to reflect changes in the audit policy and is also now only required to be submitted once a year rather than alongside each IPAR provided for the supply chain.

Instructions

From 1 June 2015 the department will require exporters to submit the updated Accounting and Traceability Declaration (Attachment 1) between 1 December and 31 December each year.

The declaration should confirm whether the animals exported under ESCAS have remained/remain within the approved supply chain(s) until slaughtered (unless otherwise reported to the department) since the previous Accounting and Traceability Declaration was provided. The declaration must be signed by a person nominated in management or control of the livestock export business.

Exporters can include all approved cattle and/or buffalo supply chains on the same declaration.

The department will vary any ESCAS approved prior to 1 June 2015 to reflect the change in requirements.

The approval documents for cattle and/or buffalo ESCAS approved on or after 1 June 2015 will be updated to reflect the new requirement.

Notwithstanding this update, exporters must continue to demonstrate control and traceability through their supply chain(s) and be able to provide detailed information as to the location of cattle and/or buffalo exported by them under ESCAS for each consignment if requested by the Secretary.

This may include but is not limited to:

1. Number of livestock exported
2. Number of livestock received at each feedlot
3. Number of mortalities in each feedlot
4. Date of entry and number of livestock that entered the Government Post-Arrival Quarantine [if applicable]
5. Date of exit and number of livestock that departed the Government Post-Arrival Quarantine [if applicable]
6. Number of livestock mortalities during Post-Arrival Quarantine [if applicable]
7. Number of livestock that departed from each feedlot to each abattoir
8. Number of livestock received and slaughtered by each abattoir
9. Date of slaughter of the last non-pregnant animal from the consignment
10. Number of pregnant animals in the consignment
11. Number and percentage of livestock traced back to the tag list at the time of export
12. Number and percentage of livestock that remained in the supply chain but were not traced back to the original tag list (i.e. lost or non-functional tags)
13. Number and percentage of livestock that left the exporter supply chain
14. Number and percentage of livestock not accounted for
15. Explanation for livestock that left the supply chain and were not accounted for
16. Number of livestock that departed from each feedlot to each depot [if applicable]
17. Number of livestock received at each depot [if applicable]
18. Number of mortalities in each depot [if applicable]
19. Number of livestock that departed from each depot to each abattoir[if applicable]
20. Number of livestock from the consignment that departed the supply chain(s) as breeding animals

The department will audit the records held by a licensed exporter to verify compliance with this notice.

Narelle Clegg
Assistant Secretary
Live Animal Export Operations Branch
Department of Agriculture

Contact officer: Claire Hendry / Spencer Whitaker
Ph: (02) 6272 4581
Email: Livestockexp

Attachment 1: ESCAS Accounting and Traceability Declaration (Cattle and Buffalo)  Word [14 KB]