Date of issue: 5 January 2026
Date of effect: 5 January 2026
Related Notices: IAN 2024-01
Attention:
- Industry bodies - Seafood Industry Australia, Seafood Trade Advisory Group, Seafood Export Consultative Committee
- Registered export manufacturing establishments and registered vessels (EU listed establishments only)
Purpose
The EU requires the department to undertake independent sampling at EU listed establishments to verify compliance with EU product standards. This notice follows IAN 2024-01 and advises that the verification sampling program will re-commence shortly for European Union (EU) listed export registered fish and fish products establishments.
EU requires verification sampling to be undertaken by the department (or under the department supervisions), and your cooperation will be required to support the department in collecting samples.
The participation in this verification sampling program is a mandatory component of EU listing.
Summary of Key Points
- The department will carry out verification sampling at EU listed establishments, but only for fish product lines that the EU has nominated.
- Samples will be taken from EU nominated products to verify that the establishment’s current EU sampling arrangements meet EU requirements.
- Establishments will be responsible for the costs associated with participating in the verification sampling program. These costs may include sampling equipment supplied by the department, transport of samples to appropriate testing laboratories, and laboratory testing.
Product Standards Guideline and EU sampling requirements
- If your establishment is listed by the EU, you are required to conduct EU sampling in accordance with the Product standards guideline for EU eligible product lines. This is to ensure ongoing compliance with EU requirements, regardless of whether you are actively exporting to the EU.
- The EU requires specific tests for certain products, as outlined in Tables 5 and 6 of the Product standards guideline. Please note that where EU eligible products require histamine testing (for example scombroid fish species such as kingfish, tuna, mackerel), the 9 samples specified in Table 5 and 6 must be taken from 9 separate fish.
- Failure to participate in the verification sampling program and when conduct sampling in line with EU requirements may result in a non-compliance being issued to the establishment, and EU eligibility for certain product lines may be removed.
EU eligible products
- Following notice IAN 2024-01, the department requested EU listed establishments to review their EU eligible products. If you wish to make any further changes before sampling begins, including adding or removing EU eligible products, please contact the program at dairyeggsfish@aff.gov.au, by no later than Friday 23 January 2026.
- If no further requests are received, the department will proceed with sample collections, and establishments will be responsible for the associated costs.
- Important: if an establishment does not have any EU eligible products nominated, the department will request removal of the establishment from the EU list. Once removed, a new application will be required to resume exporting to the EU. Establishments are reminded to check their EU listing status prior to exporting goods.
EU verification sampling process
- The Dairy, Eggs and Fish export program (DEF) will contact establishments identified as requiring verification sampling, based on eligible products recorded in the department’s Establishment Register (ER) database. DEF will also provide further information on the sampling process, including when and how samples will be collected.
- Sample collection forms and tamper-proof sampling bags will be provided before sampling takes place.
- Once samples are collected, establishments will arrange for the samples to be sent to the appropriate analytical laboratory.
- Test results will be provided to both the department and the individual establishments.
Further information
Please contact dairyeggsfish@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.