2021-04: Countries and products affected by the occurrence of Avian Influenza in Victoria as of 12 April 2021

Date of issue: 19 April 2021

Date of effect: Immediate

Attention:

• Egg Exporters —Australian
• EggsExport establishments
• Licensed exporters
• Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment —Central and Regional offices

Purpose:

This Market Access Advice (MAA) provides information on Australia regaining its previous animal health status for avian influenza following the detections of notifiable avian influenza in Victoria in July and August 2020. This MAA also provides further information around the normalisation of trade moving forward.

Summary of key points

Australia regains its previous avian influenza status

• On 26 February 2021, Australia regained its previous animal health status for avian influenza. This followed completion of cleaning and disinfection of all affected poultry properties on 26 November 2020, followed by three months of negative surveillance in accordance with Article 10.4.4 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code. The completion of cleaning and disinfection has been notified to the OIE.

Normalisation of trade – Reinstatement of suspended health certificates

• The department is currently reviewing all health certification that remains suspended and is assessing whether or not certification can be reinstated. Further to this, the department is actively approaching overseas government authorities to request the removal of trade restrictions that are currently in place.
• Exporters are encouraged to consult MICOR for checking country bans, restrictions, certifications, and current market access conditions.
• Exporters should be aware that trade may not recommence immediately for all markets, and depending on specific certification and importing country requirements, extended delays may occur for some markets. The department will continue to provide updates as restrictions are lifted and export certification can be reinstated.

Disease situation – Lethbridge, Bairnsdale and Kerang Victoria

• Decontamination and disinfection of all six properties has now been completed. Agriculture Victoria has removed the previously declared Restricted Areas in the Golden Plains Shire, near Bairnsdale and near Kerang. Smaller Control Areas and associated movement restrictions remain in place. For maps of the remaining Control Areas and further information on the disease situation, please refer to:
  • Agriculture Victoria, Avian influenza
  • National pests and disease outbreak: Avian influenza in Victoria
• Exporters should note that disease response activities are ongoing and market access conditions may change with little notice. Exporters are advised to work closely with their importer to confirm that their product meets current importing country requirements. The department will continue to keep industry informed of further developments in subsequent market access advices.

Country import restrictions/advice

• A summary of countries which have notified the department of import restrictions in relation to avian influenza in addition to the suspension of affected health certificates has been provided at Attachment 2.

Affected certification

• A list of all export health certificates affected by the HPAI and LPAI incidents near Lethbridge, Bairnsdale and Kerang, Victoria has been provided by country in Attachment 1. Exporters should use this table to understand which health certificates have been suspended or are subject to restrictions on use. The department will be provided certificates for markets the table only indicating where certification is suspended or subject to sourcing information. The department is continuing to work to reinstate certification where this is possible, and exporters will be advised of further updates in subsequent MAAs.
• Exporters should note that even if health certificates are able to be issued, all avian product that is exported from Australia at this time to any market carries a risk of being rejected at port-of-entry. Trading partners may still impose bans on avian product sourced from the affected region, the state of Victoria or the whole of Australia despite or in addition to current health certification requirements.
• Exporters are advised to work closely with their importer to confirm that their product meets current importing country requirements.

Exporter declarations

For eggs and egg products

The egg products in this consignment comply with sourcing provisions that meet the specific importing country requirements for avian influenza.

• For certification raised through EXDOC, exporters will be prompted to manually input the above exporter declarations in full depending on the product being exported.
• For manually raised certification, exporters will need to ensure that the relevant exporter declaration is included when submitting an application for manual certification. The exporter declaration must be provided on a company letterhead.

NOTE – Exporters need to ensure that the relevant exporter declaration is only included once it has been confirmed as true and correct. Exporters are reminded that it is an offence to provide false or misleading information to the Australian Government.

NOTE – Exporters need to ensure that they keep all relevant sourcing records as evidence of compliance.

NOTE – Where an attestation on a certificate references an ‘impacted property’, (for example 10kms from an affected premises), this will be taken to mean from the edge of the current outbreak ‘control areas’ as defined by the Victorian Agriculture Department.

The Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor)

• Exporters and establishments are encouraged to regularly check the main commodity landing pages of Micor to ensure they are referencing the most up-to-date avian influenza MAA.

Exporter and establishment guidance

• To assist with information management, exporters and establishments are requested to direct all enquiries to the department about the effect of this avian influenza incident on exports through their relevant peak industry body where possible.
• Exporters should contact the department if they believe consignments can meet Australian and importing country requirements via exportstandards@awe.gov.au.
• Similarly, exporters with detained consignments that require departmental assistance are requested to email details of the consignment, including the health certificate and/or RFP number to the above address.
• As was the case with previous avian influenza incidents, the department is taking all possible action to minimise the effects of this disease incident on trade and will keep industry informed of further developments.

Further information

Contact exportstandards@awe.gov.au if you have any queries.

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.