Interruption to production

Publication details

Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, March 2023.

This document describes the process that the department implements to address situations where there are critical interruptions to production. The department will work with export registered meat establishments to:

• maintain the eligibility of product to meet Australian standards and importing country requirements (including factors such as product integrity, product wholesomeness, food safety, animal welfare requirements)
• ensure normal production can resume as soon as possible.

Critical interruptions to production include:

• mechanical failures such as refrigeration failures (product cannot be refrigerated within 2 hours of slaughter, meeting refrigeration index (RI) and critical control point (CCP) requirements)
• interruption to production from power failures, storms and floods, and fires
• activist interference with plant production
• accidental or deliberate contamination of product during production.