Meat Notice 2016-06 - Current Poultry Inspection Requirements for Export

Issue Date: 31 August 2016

Contact Officers:

Surjit Kang
Veterinary Officer, Operational Integrity
02 6272 4924

Donna Bennett
Director, Operational Integrity
02 6272 3940

Category: Legal requirements including market access requirements

Date of Effect: Immediate

Date of Review: 31 August 2018

1. Purpose

To provide the export registered poultry establishments with the current requirements for poultry produced for export markets in accordance with the Export Control Act 1982.

This is in response to non-compliance issues detected at the Certification Integrity Unit (CIU) audit, some changes in importing country requirements requiring departmental presence and the need to update information about the use of official marks.
Poultry establishments must also adhere to the requirements of the relevant state legislation and Chapter 4 of the Food Standards Code.

This meat notice supersedes 2006/20.

2. Scope

This notice applies to all poultry meat produced from export registered poultry establishments, including slaughter (processing), boning, further processing and storage facilities.

This meat notice does not apply to meat from ratites (emu/ostrich).

3. Definitions

The following table defines terms used in this notice.

Term

Definition

Poultry

For the purposes of this notice poultry includes fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, pheasants, quails, guinea fowls and other avian species ordinarily consumed as food by man, but does not include ratites (emu or ostrich).

Authorised Officer

A person appointed under Section 20 of the Export Control Act 1982.

Area Technical Manager (ATM)

An authorised officer with veterinarian qualifications who has the technical oversight of a group of export registered establishments.

On-Plant Veterinarian (OPV)

An authorised officer with veterinarian qualifications who undertakes verification or inspection activities on an export registered poultry processing plant.

Food Safety Meat Assessor (FSMA)

An authorised officer with meat inspection qualifications who undertakes verification or inspection activities on export registered poultry establishments.

Departmental  Supervision

Occurs when a departmental authorised officer e.g. an FSMA or an OPV is present on-plant supervising processes from before the start of slaughter including verifying the ante-mortem inspection through to completion of post mortem inspection (depending on the importing country requirement).
For most markets, further processing through to packing can be supervised by a departmental officer (OPV or FSMA), for a minimum of 2 hours during export production.

Senior Food Safety Auditor (SFSA)

A departmental authorised officer within the Audit Services Group responsible for ensuring audits are conducted at export registered poultry establishments in accordance with the departmental policies and procedures.

Food Safety Auditor (FSA)

A departmental authorised officer within the Audit Services Group responsible for auditing export registered poultry establishments.

State Regulatory Authority (SRA) Auditors

State Regulatory Authority auditors are authorised officers for the purpose of conducting audits of export registered poultry establishments on behalf of the department in the States/Territories where a joint arrangement is agreed with the department.

Meat Establishment Verification System (MEVS)

The department’s national system of inspection, verification and audit activities at export registered facilities.

Audit Management System (AMS)

The department’s web-based record management system for holding on-plant verification records, non-compliance issues, corrective action requests and audit reports.

Approved Arrangement

Documentation of systems established in co-operation between the competent authority and a processing establishment to deliver compliance with legislative and importing country requirements.

Request for Permit (RFP)

An Export Documentation (EXDOC) Request for Permit is an electronic export permit application (Notice of Intention to Export) received under the Schedule 8, Part 1, Division I of the Export Control (Poultry Meat and Poultry Meat Products) Orders 2010 [EC(PM&PMP)Os].

Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MICoR)

The compilation of market access directives maintained by the department, available on the department’s website.

Australia Inspected Stamp

The design of the official mark as specified in Section 13.02 of the Export Control (Prescribed Goods – General) Orders 2005. This official mark can be applied to a carton in which poultry meat or poultry meat products passed for human consumption are packed, where the poultry carcases or poultry carcase parts have been inspected and passed for human consumption by an authorised officer or a person under the supervision of an authorised officer.
This official mark must be kept under the security of a departmental authorised officer or be applied as a computer generated mark in accordance with the departmental approved code of practice for the application of computer generated official marks or on a pre-printed label in accordance with procedures documented in the approved arrangement.

Australia Approved Stamp

The design of the official mark as specified in Section 13.12 of the Export Control (Prescribed Goods – General) Order 2005. This official mark can be applied to a carton in which poultry meat or poultry meat products passed for human consumption are packed, where the poultry carcases or poultry carcase parts have been inspected and passed for human consumption by an employee of the establishment in accordance with procedures documented in the establishment’s Approved Arrangement.
This official mark must be kept under the supervision of a nominated establishment management personnel who is listed in the departmental Establishment Register (ER).

Non Compliance Issue (NCI)

A written record (generated in AMS) made by departmental staff and given to the establishment management who are required to address a non-compliance that has the potential to affect food safety, product wholesomeness, animal welfare, product integrity and/or market access requirements. Where an NCI has been issued the relevant verification activity is rated marginal on the MEVS verification checklist.

Corrective Action Request (CAR)

A written directive from the department to the establishment management to take corrective action when a non-conformity is identified and is reasonably likely to affect food safety, animal welfare, product integrity or market access requirements. Where a CAR has been issued the relevant verification activity is rated marginal on the MEVS verification checklist.

Certification Integrity Unit (CIU)

The contact point for State Regulatory Authorities within the Department’s Meat Exports Branch.

4. Background

The Australian poultry industry operates under the Australian Standard for the Construction of Premises and Hygienic Production of Poultry Meat for Human Consumption, AS 4465:2005 (Australian Poultry Meat Standard). Additionally, in order to export poultry meat, the industry must comply with the Export Control Act (1982) and the Export Control (Poultry Meat and Meat Products) Orders 2010, as well as relevant importing country requirements.

This notice provides instructions on the current inspection requirements for the export of poultry meat.

5. Responsibilities

5.1 Establishment Management:

5.1.1. Approved Arrangement amendments in relation to this Meat Notice:

  1. Immediately review the establishment’s approved arrangement against the contents of this Meat Notice.
  2. Prepare any necessary amendments to the establishment’s approved arrangement and present them to the departmental SFSA or the SRA responsible for auditing the establishment for approval within 3 weeks from the date of publication of this notice.
  3. Implement approved arrangement changes following approval.
  4. Ensure all establishment personnel have received training relevant to their tasks.
  5. Records of training are to be made available to the department or its representative upon request.

5.1.2. Arrangements based on various importing countries requirements:

  1. The approved arrangement must include:
    • Segregation arrangements based on market eligibility,
    • Ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection procedures to be conducted by the company personnel,
    • Sufficient details to ensure that only eligible poultry is processed and packed for the relevant market (sourcing),
    • Detail of the applicable importing country requirements and the system of controls used to ensure compliance with those requirements,
    • List of responsible personnel who have management responsibility or are signatories for export purposes,
    • Inventory controls,
    • Security of the official marks,
    • Procedures for the transfer of product, loading for export and certification.
  2. Where the importing country requires departmental presence during production (refer Appendix 1), apply in writing to the relevant departmental regional office for official staff to be present for a specific production run.
    • Applications for official staff should be made in writing at least one week prior to the proposed dates of production.
    • The production should not commence until the departmental official staff is/are present on-site.
  3. Where departmental supervision is required (refer Appendix 1), ensure Part 1 of the Poultry Inspection certificate (appendix 2) is completed and presented to the departmental staff prior to the start of production containing relevant declarations by the owner of the poultry farm and the company veterinarian.
    • If the meat produced is destined for Japan, ensure that Part 2 of the Poultry Inspection Certificate (Appendix 2) has been completed and presented.
  4. Ensure adequately trained and qualified staff are present to conduct post-mortem inspection.
  5. Ensure compliance with the Australian Poultry Meat Standard (AS 4465:2005).
  6. Ensure the production meets specific market requirements as specified in the approved arrangement and MICoR.
  7. Maintain relevant records and make those records available to an authorised officer on request.

Note: where the approved arrangement allows, the establishment nominated RFP validator may validate the RFP provided the following information is entered in the inspector comments field of the RFP; ‘Production supervised by the departmental inspector’ or ‘Production supervised by the departmental veterinarian’ as appropriate.

5.2 Departmental on-plant Authorised Officers:

  1. Be present on-plant to supervise processing from before the start of slaughter through to completion of post mortem inspection for markets requiring departmental supervision of ante and post mortem inspection.
  2. Be present for the required time after post mortem inspection and until further processing is completed for markets requiring departmental presence for further processing and/or packing.
    • For most markets, further processing through to packing can be supervised by a departmental officer (if required) for a minimum of 2 hours.
  3. Where the Australia Inspected stamp is applied by means of a physical stamp, a departmental officer must be present until the last carcase is packaged and identified as eligible for that market and the Australia Inspected stamp is returned to departmental security.
  4. Where the approved arrangement includes an approved computer generated official marking system or an approved system for sequentially numbered labels bearing the official mark, an authorised officer need not be present until the final packaging and labelling unless required by the importing country.
  5. Complete the MEVS poultry verification tasks relevant to the operations at the establishment in accordance with the department’s work instruction for verification of poultry processing operations available on the departmental instructional material library (IML).
    • The relevant poultry verification task list must be downloaded from AMS and then uploaded to AMS after completion in accordance with the procedures in the AMS Meat User Manual.
  6. Where a verification activity is rated marginal or unacceptable, an NCI or CAR should be issued to the establishment using AMS in accordance with the MEVS policy. All NCIs or CARs issued need to be reported to the relevant Area Technical Manager.
  7. Provide a weekly report to the relevant Area Technical Manager in accordance with MEVS policy.

5.3. Area Technical Managers:

  1. Review the establishment’s approved arrangement for export registered poultry establishments.
  2. Provide technical support to OPVs or FSMAs conducting poultry verification activities, including advice on issuing NCIs or CARs.
  3. Review reports from OPVs or FSMAs conducting poultry verification activities and where there are unacceptable verification activity ratings, provide notifications to the SFSA responsible for auditing the establishment or to the CIU for those establishments audited by the SRAs (refer CIU form on IML in CIU section).

5.4. Senior Food Safety Auditors:

  1. Review the establishment’s approved arrangement for export registered poultry establishments.
  2. Review reports received from ATMs in relation to unacceptable verification activity outcomes at poultry establishments and provide relevant information to FSAs conducting audits at those establishments for appropriate action.

5.5. Food Safety Auditors:

  1. Review AMS Verification Checklists, NCIs and/or CARs issued at poultry establishments as part of poultry audit preparations.
  2. Assess through audits the establishment’s compliance with relevant export legislation, importing country requirements and Australian Poultry Meat Standard and record in the audit report.

5.6. State Regulatory Authority auditors:

  1. Review notification reports received from the CIU for the particular poultry establishment.
  2. Assess through audits the establishment’s compliance with relevant export legislation, importing country requirements and Australian Poultry Meat Standard and record in the audit report.

6. Certification, inspection and health mark requirements at poultry slaughter establishment

Requirements for departmental supervision of poultry meat production vary according to importing country requirements. The requirements for major poultry markets as at the date of issue of this notice are summarised in Appendix 1 and 3. The currency of requirements should be verified on MICoR.

7. Boning, further processing and storage facilities

Where an establishment has specific listings that require some form of direct departmental supervision it must have an approved arrangement in place to demonstrate how the product that is processed and transferred under that supervision is identified, segregated and accounted for in the inventory of that establishment.

The departmental officer at non-slaughter boning/processing establishments is to conduct pre-operational and operational hygiene checks, supervise processing from product receival through to packaging and identification as eligible for that market. The minimum presence where departmental presence is required is for a minimum 2 hours during export production.

8. Audits

Regular audits will be conducted by the department directly or by the relevant SRA under an arrangement with the department. Audits conducted by the relevant SRA of poultry establishments will be at a frequency as agreed with the department. Audit frequency conducted by the department of poultry establishments will be quarterly.

9. Inter-establisment transfer of products

Procedure for the transfer of ‘export product’ between registered export establishments must be documented in the approved arrangement and the consignment must be accompanied by an adequately completed official Meat Transfer Certificate (MTC, E012). Where direct departmental (veterinary/inspector) supervision has taken place, the MTC must be endorsed with the export market eligibility for example, ‘eligible for export to Singapore’ or ‘eligible for export to Japan’.

Dr Samantha Allan
National Veterinary Technical Manager
Meat Exports Branch
Department of Agriculture & Water Resources

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