Reforming live animal exports

We are streamlining the administration process of approved arrangements by:

• improving business processes, guidance material and IT systems
• striking a better balance between checking individual consignments and exporters’ systems
• making regulatory action on non-compliance more responsive, proportionate, and predictable.

What we have achieved

Outlined in these tables are components of this project we have completed:

We are also modernising the Tracking Animal Certification for Export (TRACE) system. Enhancements we have completed or progressed are outlined here.

We identified the current performance and compliance framework as a barrier to implementing more risk-based and targeted regulatory approaches.

To learn more about our stakeholder's concerns with the current framework, we conducted approximately 121 hours of detailed user research with:

• accredited veterinarians
• exporters
• department staff
• registered establishment occupiers.

This research data is being used to inform improvements in the performance and compliance framework including the development digital regulatory tools.

Performance and compliance framework.

We are co-designing an improved live animal export performance and compliance framework with relevant stakeholders. This framework will be supported by digital tools to build a complete view of exporter compliance across the supply chain.

This will allow us to:

• support exporters to continuously improve their performance
• respond to non-compliance in a more targeted, timely, predictable and proportionate way
• adapt our assurance and compliance measures based on performance
• reduce the regulatory burden on compliant exporters while maintaining the integrity of the trade.

Digital capability

We are building digital tools which will improve compliance data reporting and analysis to better inform how we manage risk and compliance. We are testing these tools with a sample of relevant stakeholders and making improvements to ensure they are ready for use.

This work will also:

• reduce regulatory burdens and costs to exporters
• improve visibility of exporter compliance history throughout the supply chain
• improve targeting and streamlining of our assessments
• improve consistency of service delivery.

We are reviewing and revising the independent observer program. This includes exploring industry led trials around the use of technology on vessels to provide similar assurance to the physical deployment of an observer.

This aims to:

• integrate the independent observer program into our assurance framework,
• reduce the cost of the program without reducing assurance of animal health and welfare outcomes.

In August 2022, the draft findings and recommendations from the integrated audit and assurance framework project were handed to the streamlining approved arrangements administration project to progress.

This project follows on from recommendations of the Moss Review and internal feedback.

Accredited veterinarians (AAVs) play an important role in the regulatory framework. They ensure the health and welfare of livestock before export and during some voyages. By strengthening the AAV program, we can be assured that AAVs and exporters are meeting:

• animal health and welfare standards
• importing country requirements.

This project aims to increase clarity on AAVs’:

• purpose
• role
• reporting requirements.

This will be achieved through further engagement, training and auditing of AAVs.

What we have achieved

Our key deliverables for this project are outlined here.

This project focuses on building a modern and reliable data reporting and analytics capability. This will support timely and efficient regulation of all live animal exports. We will achieve this through the development of a digital and integrated reporting model. This will connect live animal export data across the live export supply chain.

This will allow:

• better identification of trends and potential risks in the live export supply chain
• us to implement targeted risk-based regulation and policy measures.

What we have achieved

Our key deliverables for this project include:

• building a single integrated reporting model for live animal exports
• improving our collection, handling and use of data captured under the regulatory framework
• replacing manual data processes with digital solutions through system enhancements and systems development
• transitioning to Power BI as a visualisation tool. This makes data more accessible to users and supports regulatory functions and operations.
• securing access to external live animal export data systems. This includes developing an automated data transfer system to receive and store regulatory LIVEXCollect data. LIVEXCollect standardises data entry and reporting, allowing improved data aggregation and analysis.

We estimate that this project will reduce our costs by $202,546 a year by the conclusion of the project. This will be through time saved on data cleansing, manipulation, and analysis. Administrative time will also be saved by making data more accessible for our staff.

The project’s purpose was to ensure our external communications are clear and transparent. This is to ensure stakeholders are confident of our requirements and approach to regulation. We also developed policies and procedures to better engage with relevant stakeholders. This means that interested parties can be confident we will hear their views on policy matters.

This project concluded in June 2022.

What we achieved

Our key deliverables for this project included:

• updating the livestock client service standards
• publication of a stakeholder and communication engagement policy
• reviewing all our webpages to ensure information is current, helpful and easy to find. We updated several webpages and removed webpages with outdated information.
• creating a new process for market access notices (MANs), to inform exporters of market access information related to live animals
• reviewing the current list of EANs and migration of information to appropriate webpages. To date this has reduced the list of EANs containing ongoing regulatory requirements from around 180 down to 18, making it easier to check which EANs still apply. This ensures information is easy to find and is only located in one place.