Livestock exporters with an approved arrangement (AA) must also have an approved export program (AEP). An AEP describes the activities that the accredited veterinarian (AAV) must perform. An AEP will also contain instructions for shipboard AAVs where relevant.
The AAV ensures:
- animals are prepared as per the importing country requirements and the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL).
- the health and welfare of the livestock during the export voyage or journey.
AEPs are specific to the components of a consignment, including the market, species and class.
Components of an AEP
The 3 core components of an AEP are:
- governance arrangements of the exporter, including exporter information and record keeping
- instructions for land-based AAVs for pre-export activities
- instructions for AAVs accompanying a voyage by sea.
Activities performed by AAVs
You must give a copy of the AEP to the AAV who will prepare your livestock for export.
Under the AEP, the AAV will:
- monitor the health and welfare of the livestock
- examine, inspect, test and/or treat where needed
- record and report on implementation of the AEP
- declare that the requirements of the AEP are met.
The AAV must comply with all legislative record keeping and reporting requirements.
Activities not required to be done by an AAV will be addressed in your AA.
How to apply for an AEP
If you are a new exporter, you can apply for a new livestock export licence, AA and AEP at the same time.
We provide information on becoming an exporter, including details on how to apply and what you will need.
How to vary an existing AEP
You may need to vary your AEP if:
- your business operations change
- the importing country’s requirements change
- you want to add or remove a market, species or class of livestock.
Complete the relevant sections of the application to vary a livestock export licence, approved arrangement or approved export program form.
You can also use this form to vary your AA. We will assess both variations together.
Submit the application form and supporting documents to livestockexp@aff.gov.au.
We will contact you if we require more information.
We will notify you in writing as to the outcome of your application.
We assess applications in accordance with our client service standards. We will inform you of your application status if there are delays. See our service standards.
We charge a time-based fee in line with our charging guidelines
AEP guidelines
Download
Approved export program guidelines for the export of livestock (PDF 387 KB)
Approved export program guidelines for the export of livestock DOCX 770 KB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Auditing and compliance
We will audit your AEP as part of your regular AA audit.