Date of issue: 21 March 2023
Date of effect: 30 March 2023
Reference Number: MAA2023-08
Attention:
- Industries — Industry bodies — Australian Food and Grocery Council
- Export establishments
- Exporters
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry — Central and Regional offices
Purpose
To notify exporters on the commencement of paperless exchange of health certificate (eCert) for the export of edible honey and apiculture products to the European Union (EU) and to inform the changes to expect in certificate outputs.
Summary of key points
- From 30 March 2023 onwards, export certificates for honey and apiculture products exported to the EU will be transmitted directly via the EU Trade Control and Export System (TRACES-NT) as an eCert. This will replace printed certificates (EUHGB) currently required to export these products to the EU.
NEXDOC Request for export
- Export certification for honey and apiculture products for human consumption to the EU will be moved to NEXDOC from 30 March 2023.
- The request for export (REX) process will change for exporters. You will now need to provide additional information, including but not limited to the Combined Nomenclature (CN) Code and Consignee TRACES ID.
- For record keeping and commercial purposes only, an extract of the information transmitted by eCert can be printed. The eCert extract will not be accepted by the EU border control post for clearance if presented.
- Please note that all REXs MUST be completed (COMP) to have the extract issued.
- You will be able to remote print your extract. If you have already been set up to remote print, you will select this option when raising your REX.
Check your EU TRACES-NT ID
- For an eCert to be lodged successfully, exporters must have a valid TRACES-NT ID. Please note the exporter’s TRACES-NT ID is a separate registration to the department’s establishment register (ER) or the EU listing of establishments recorded in TRACES-NT.
- Exporters details in TRACES-NT should be accurately reflected in your NEXDOC account, hold the same address and ensure there are no duplicate records in the TRACES-NT system. It is possible that importers may have applied for a TRACES ID on behalf of the exporter, so a check may be required for duplicate entries.
- To update your TRACES-NT ID number in NEXDOC, please view the user guide NEXDOC Add EU TRACES ID for honey.
- Alternatively, new exporters can include their TRACES-NT ID number in their NEXDOC exporter registration application.
- Please note this does not affect your establishment registration details in the department’s Establishment Register (ER) or the EU listing of establishments recorded in TRACES-NT. If you become aware of any problems with the listing of an establishment, please contact Exportestablishment@aff.gov.au with a description of the problem.
- You will also be required to enter a TRACES Consignee ID within the consignee tab of the REX. You should work closely with your importer to ensure they provide you the correct TRACES Consignee ID. You will need to provide this to the department prior to entering it into your REX, so the department can hold this on record. It will then be validated at the time of REX lodgement. Please provide this to the NEXDOC helpdesk via email to nexdoc@aff.gov.au.
- For help with NEXDOC, please contact nexdoc@aff.gov.au.
CN code
- The EU uses the Combined Nomenclature (CN) to categorise commodities for tariff purposes. This is the EU’s eight-digit coding system which is aligned with the Harmonised System (HS) codes with further EU sub-categories.
- You will be required to select an appropriate CN code from a drop-down field in each product line of the REX.
Export establishment
- The establishment recorded in the ‘Place of Dispatch registration number’ field of the REX must be export listed in the department’s Establishment Register (ER) for Honey/Bee Products for Human Consumption to the EU. The establishment must hold an active XEBH listing at the date which the REX is submitted.
- The establishment recorded in the ‘Manufacturer’ field of the REX must be exported listed in the Department’s Establishment Register (ER) for Honey/Bee Products for Human Consumption to the EU. The establishment must hold an active EU honey listing at the time of honey product line process start and end date as well as at the date which the REX is submitted.
Updates to certificate template codes
- An eCert extract has been created due to the move to eCert and the template is detailed in the following table:
Commodity Manual printed template code eCert certificate extract code For the export of honey and apiary products (intended for human consumption) EUHGB EUH1EX - The manual EUHGB certificate will only remain available for trade of honey and apiculture products for human consumption to Northern Ireland, under the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed between the United Kingdom (UK) and the EU. eCert is not available for trade to Northern Ireland.
- Please contact foodexports@aff.gov.au if you intend to export to ports in Northern Ireland.
- There will be no e-cert for honey transit certificate.
Countries included in the move to eCert
- The eCert arrangement extends to all countries in the EU (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden).
- It also includes other countries in the EU single market and those part of the EU TRACES NT Group (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland).
- Please contact foodexports@aff.gov.au if you intend to export to ports in Northern Ireland.
- The Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor) will be updated to reflect this market access advice. We encourage users of Micor to subscribe to the Micor update service for a commodity-specific email that lists changes that have been made in the preceding week.
- The department encourages all exporters to work with their importer to ensure that product meets the current importing country requirements.
The information provided in this advice is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify these details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice.
Further information
Contact ExportStandards@aff.gov.au if you have any queries.