Australian Government response to the Independent Review of Australia's Livestock Export Trade (the Farmer Review)

Recommendation 2 – The Review recommends that the Australian Government urge the states and territories to develop and implement, as a priority, enforceable standards of welfare to replace Codes of Practice, incorporate the standards into legislation and prepare and implement compliance programs to monitor and enforce the regulations in the domestic phase of the livestock export trade.

Cattle, sheep and goat welfare standards should be produced as a priority for incorporation into state and territory legislation.

• Enhanced auditing processes including targeted on-site (including shipboard) audit
• Daily and end-of-voyage reports to be forwarded to AQIS and the exporter simultaneously
• Enhanced training and induction processes for AAVs
• Consideration by industry of enhanced training and mentoring programs for stockpersons

Agreed.
The Australian Government will implement additional measures to improve the operation of AQIS-accredited veterinarians (AAV) for livestock exports. The additional measures include strengthening auditing arrangements used to assess the performance of AAVs, enhanced training and induction processes, as well as AAVs submitting reports directly to AQIS at the same time such reports are transmitted to the exporter.

The Australian Government supports efforts by industry to enhance training, induction and mentoring processes for stockpersons.

In addition, the shipping standards relating to the export of livestock will be subject to review under the following:

• Review of the existing Australian standards for the export of livestock; and
• The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s review of Marine Orders Part 43.

• The review should inter alia examine the policy on export of sheep from southern ports to the Middle East in winter months, with a view to:
• • mitigate feedlot and shipboard losses in adverse weather conditions
  • mitigate losses from heat stress and inanition during the voyage.
• The review should also consider additional specific criteria, identified in recent industry-funded research, for selection of suitable livestock for export.

Recommendation 8 – The Review recommends that the Australian Government should work with the states and territories and industry to implement individual identification of all sheep and goats as soon as practicable.

As a priority, current exemptions applying to export cattle from the Northern Territory and Western Australia should be removed.

Agreed in Principle.
The Australian Government will continue to work with the state and territory governments to develop and implement a unique animal identification system for sheep and goats.

The Australian Government has been consulting with the Western Australian and Northern Territory Governments to remove existing exemptions of certain cattle from the National Livestock Identification System.

1. meets World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) standards for animal welfare;
2. enables animals to be effectively traced or accounted for by exporters within a supply chain through to slaughter;
3. has appropriate reporting and accountability; and
4. is independently verified and audited.

Recommendation 10 – The Review recommends that the approach developed for the export of feeder and slaughter livestock to Indonesia should be developed for all supply chains (that is, all markets and all species of feeder and slaughter livestock), with variations which might be necessary to take account of different species or market circumstances.

The minimum requirements should be that all elements of the supply chain must meet, at a minimum, the OIE standards; that animals entering a supply chain must be accounted for; that there be independent third party assessment of each supply chain; and that the exporter demonstrate whole of supply chain control, enabling accounting for animals and ensuring treatment according to OIE standards.

In implementing the new arrangements, the Australian Government should set a timeframe which will take account of the following elements:

• There should be consultation with foreign governments.
• There should be consultation with Australian industry.
• There should be a clear articulation of regulatory mechanisms, expectations and requirements.
• The process should be completed for all supply chains by the end of 2012.
• The process should set out priorities for attention, beginning with the largest markets or others with special circumstances; any proposed exports to new markets should be subject to the proposed arrangements with immediate effect.
• There should be no interruption of trade in the meantime.

• develop a communication strategy that clearly articulates the industry and government responsibility under the new regulatory framework
• undertake extensive consultation with governments in countries importing Australian livestock to explain the key elements of the new framework during the implementation phase
• consult with the Australian industry during implementation of the new framework
• encourage industry and trading partners to strengthen their efforts, ahead of full implementation of the new regulatory framework, to improve animal welfare outcomes.

• DAFF/AQIS should examine resourcing, information and other requirements necessary for the efficient discharge of policy advice, regulatory and other responsibilities in relation to the overseas elements of the supply chain.
• DAFF/AQIS should also review issues identified in the Review in relation to service delivery and regulation in the domestic elements of the supply chain.

Agreed.
The Australian Government will examine the information and resourcing requirements to fully implement the new regulatory framework. This includes provision of policy advice and discharge of regulatory functions for live animal exports.

The Australian Government will also review other issues raised in the Farmer Review concerning the domestic elements of the supply chain and the associated service delivery and regulatory arrangements, noting that this will also require input from and cooperation by state and territory governments.

• the Australian Government will apply regulation to Australian exporters;
• animals must be exported only through approved supply chains that have been assessed by independent auditors as meeting OIE requirements;
• the exporter must provide evidence demonstrating supply chain control from point of unloading of the vessel to the point of slaughter;
• a process of animal accountability must be in place throughout the supply chain, including at the point of unloading, at the feedlot/holding facility, at the abattoir/slaughter facility and at other defined intermediate stages of the supply chain (such as other feedlots) with data retained for each point that can be audited and reconciled by the independent auditor;
• independent audits must be undertaken before the first consignment into a new exporter supply chain, followed by frequent audits (for example, every two months) for the first six months of a new supply chain, and then at a frequency determined by a risk-based approach involving a minimum of three audits per year (this should include audits at peak periods during festivals for countries where relevant); and
• outcomes of audit reports will be published regularly.

• sequencing of markets based on size of the trade to those markets; and
• timing based on a combination of practical considerations (what’s able to be done) and sensitivities to market considerations.

• industry and government continue to strengthen their efforts to significantly limit private sales in importing markets;
• industry take action to prevent sales of animals through supply chains that involve facilities that are known to fall well below OIE requirements; and
• Australian officials increase their activities with government officials in key overseas markets.

• sequencing of markets based on size of the trade to those markets; and
• timing based on a combination of practical considerations (what’s able to be done) and sensitivities to market considerations.

• industry take action to prevent sales of animals through supply chains that involve facilities that are known to fall well below OIE requirements; and
• Australian officials increase their activities with government officials in key overseas markets