Date of issue: 30 July 2021
Date of effect: 21 August 2021
Reference Number: MAA2021-16
Attention:
- Industries—Industry bodies – Dairy Australia, Dairy Export Industry Consultative Committee, Infant Nutrition Council, Seafood Export Consultative Committee, Australian Food and Grocery Council, Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
- Export dairy and seafood establishments
- Exporters
- Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment —Central and Regional offices
Purpose
To notify stakeholders that from Saturday 21 August 2021, there will be new EU export certificates.
Affected certificates
From 21 August 2021, the below EU certificates will be replaced by new certificates as per Regulation (EU) 2020/2235. A further market access advice (MAA) will be published advising exporters of the new certificate details once they have been finalised.
| Current Template Number | Current Certificate Title | Certificate Type* |
|---|---|---|
| ZDENH1 | Health Certificate for dairy products derived from milk of cows, ewes, goats and buffaloes for human consumption from third countries or parts thereof authorized in Column B of Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 605/2010 intended for importation into the European Union** | Electronic |
| FEEN1A | Official Certificate for the Entry in the Union for Placing on the Market of Fishery Products | Electronic |
| FEEN1E | Official Certificate for the Entry in the Union for Placing on the Market of Fishery Products | Electronic |
| FEEN2C | Official Certificate for the Entry in the Union for Placing on the Market of Live Bivalve Molluscs, Echinoderms, Tunicates and Marine Gastropods | Electronic |
| EUHGB | Official Certificate for the Entry in the Union for Placing on the Market of Honey and Other Apiculture Products Intended for Human Consumption | Manual |
| M492 | Health Certificate for import into the European Union of Composite Products intended for Human Consumption | Manual |
| M492A | Health Certificate for transit through or storage in the European Union of Composite Products intended for Human Consumption | Manual |
| EUET | Health Certificate for Entry into the Union for Placing on the Market of Rendered Animal Fats and Greaves intended for Human Consumption | Manual |
| M022 | Official Certificate for the Entry into the Union for Placing on the Market of Raw Materials for the Production of Gelatine and Collagen intended for Human Consumption | Manual |
*Electronic certificates are raised in the Export Documentation (EXDOC) system or for dairy, the Next Export Documentation (NEXDOC) system. The required data fields are automatically populated. In comparison, manual certificates are completed and printed manually and then submitted to the department’s regional offices for signature.
** All of the certificate titles are from the EU Regulation 2020/2235. Please note despite the title of the dairy certificate Australia only exports milk products from some of these species to the EU.
The changes to the certificates
Exporters may be required to provide new information when raising a request for permit (RFP) in EXDOC or a request for export (REX) in NEXDOC. Please note the following examples of new information requirements:
- Place of destination - this will be compulsory for all consignments, not just those in transit across the EU. This should be, for example: Destination Name, Address, Registration/Approval No (if applicable), Country and ISO country code.
- Country codes can be viewed at Eurostat Glossary:Country codes
- CN code - this was provided as the Harmonized System (HS) code previously but this will be entered in EU format as 4, 6 or 8 digits number as stipulated in Council Regulation EU 2021/632.
- Batch number - This number should match what is labelled on the cartons. For fish, this should be entered as the relevant processing date in the format of DD-MMM-YYYY (i.e. 29-MAY-2020).
- Final consumer - This should be “Yes” if the commodity is packaged for final consumers. This includes product packaged for retail sale i.e. a supermarket or packed in individual portions for consumer use. This should be “No” if the products are packed in bulk and to be separated for sale to individual consumers by the retailer i.e. such as a butcher’s shop or fish vendor.
Please also note from page 2 onwards in the certificates, there are updated references to EU Regulations and extended public and animal health attestations.
Paperless certificates
The department is continuing to work with our EU counterparts to implement paperless exchange of health certificates for fish and dairy commodities as a priority. This will facilitate the electronic exchange of certificates which will provide greater efficiency and security. Progress will be announced in future MAAs.
Transit certificates
For some commodities, such as dairy and composite products, transit certificates will be required for products entering the EU and Northern Ireland via Great Britain (GB). A transit certificate will not be required if the product is trans-shipped within GB ports.
Additionally, transit certificates for the EU will still be required for product entering at EU ports and transiting to third countries (such as Russia or Georgia). These certificates are all being revised according to the new EU regulations and might not be immediately available on 21 August 2021.
If you envisage your product will require a transit certificate, please contact ExportStandards@aff.gov.au to enquire if this is available or to request that one be developed.
Bilingual certificates
Manual certificates
All certificates will continue to be in English from 21 August 2021. However, the department is aware that certificates must be available in the official language of the Member State of the Border Control Post of entry into the EU. It should be noted that EU Member States, where English is not the official language, have been accepting English only certificates since 14 December 2019.
Additionally, the department has requested of the European Commission, an additional 6 months, from 21 August 2021, to develop bilingual certificates. English only certificates should be used during this 6 month period.
The department shall develop bilingual certificates on an exporter demand basis. If a bilingual certificate is not available for the port in which your consignment will be entering, please contact the department, at ExportStandards@aff.gov.au.
Please provide information on the expected quantity and value of your intended exports to the EU, so your request can be assessed and prioritised by departmental staff. It takes several weeks to develop new export documentation of this nature.
E-Cert
Once available, electronic certificates will be automatically translated in TRACES.
Further information
Contact ExportStandards@aff.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.