Date of issue: 24 August 2020
Date of effect: immediate
Who does this notice affect?
Industry stakeholders involved in exporting non-prescribed goods that are audited by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (department) (or third parties on behalf of the department) to meet importing country requirements (includes pet food, rendered products, skins and hides, blood products, animal by-products for technical/pharmaceutical use).
Purpose
The department is continuing to monitor the changing COVID-19 situation in Australia and the risks to personnel safety and export market access if positive cases are identified at export establishments.
This notice details the department's request for affected export establishments (see above) to promptly notify the department of any positive COVID-19 cases identified at or associated with their premises.
Maintaining safety for visiting regulatory personnel
With the increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases over recent weeks in Victoria and New South Wales, the department is committed to prioritising the safety of all people, including its staff and third party providers required to visit establishments to carry out official duties. The extent of community transmission of COVID-19 across other parts of the country remains unclear, and the department will monitor this situation vigilantly in the interests of personnel safety.
Under existing requirements, all positive COVID-19 cases are notified through the state or territory health authorities, where contact tracing is undertaken and instructions/supervision are provided around deep clean, mandatory isolation and follow-up risk mitigation activities.
Information dissemination takes time and without receiving a similarly prompt notification directly from the establishment, the department may not have the information it needs to make an informed decision about the risks of conducting onsite activities, as well as managing enquiries from overseas trading partners.
Managing export market access issues in response to COVID-19 cases
While COVID-19 is not considered a food safety concern, some uncertainties have been circulating globally through the media around the potential for the virus to be transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, such as food packaging. There is currently no evidence to indicate that this mode of transmission has occurred, however the global scrutiny has intensified of COVID-19 prevention and management strategies in place at establishments preparing food for export.
Australian domestic media sources are being monitored more closely by overseas authorities for information on potential outbreaks of COVID-19 at exporting establishments, in particular those preparing food. The department is monitoring the situation to assess if further notifications to importing country authorities would be required and appropriate.
The department requests that the occupiers of establishments exporting non-prescribed goods that are audited by the department (or third parties on behalf of the department) to meet importing country requirements (includes pet food, rendered products, skins and hides, blood products, animal by-products for technical/pharmaceutical use) consider the issues outlined in this notice, and to notify the department of any positive COVID-19 cases associated with their premises as soon as possible. Occupiers are advised to contact MeatEstabCOVIDreporting@aff.gov.au to provide notifications (this is a central email being used for all meat, dairy, eggs, fish, and non-prescribed goods responses).
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation with this request.
If you require any additional information, please contact NPGExports@awe.gov.au.