8 May 2012
Species
Livestock
Country
Where a HSRA is required
Relevant to
- Live Animal Exporters
- DAFF Biosecurity Staff
- AQIS Accredited Veterinarians
- LiveCorp
- ALEC
Purpose
To advise exporters of the requirement for submission of a Heat Stress Risk Assessment (HSRA) to DAFF with the Notice of Intention to Export/Consignment Risk Management Plan (NOI/CRMP) for the export of livestock by sea.
Background
Under the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock, exporters must load livestock on sea vessels in accordance with an agreed heat stress model. The assessment of heat stress risk for live export voyages from Australia is performed by a software program called ‘HotStuff’.
The final report on the performance of HotStuff Version 4 (Meat and Livestock Australia 2011) concludes that Version 4 should be applied in place of Version 2.3 and improves the risk assessment in a number of ways.
According to the report, the main changes to Version 4 are:
- expansion to include additional ports in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, West Africa and Russia
- route options via the Suez canal or West Africa
- inclusion of port risk
- inclusion of more voyage weather data and reanalysis of all voyages and port data
- updating the software programming environment.
Instructions
For every consignment of livestock by sea from 1 May 2012, where a HSRA is required, exporters are required to:
- Apply HotStuff version 4 in place of version 2.3.
- Attach the HSRA to the NOI/CRMP in both PDF and the associated HotStuff voyage data file (e.g. *.mbd or *.wbd).
- Attach the HotStuff vessel data file to the NOI/CRMP (or organise the vessel owner to submit this to DAFF directly if necessary). Nb. This may not be required if DAFF has already received the vessel data file for previous risk assessments. Contact DAFF assessing officer to confirm if submission is required.
- Ensure the cross wind output for open decks is less than 7 knots (3.6 m/s).
- Ensure the HSRA risk output is less than a 2% risk of a 5% mortality.
- Ensure the HSRA output for stocking density meets the relevant ASEL stocking density requirements.
- Ensure the consignment load plan gives the animals at least as much space as both the ASEL and HSRA minimum stocking density outputs.
DAFF may request updated submissions during assessment of the NOI/CRMP and/or as an attachment to the Application for Health Certificate/Permission to Leave for Loading form. Updated submissions of the HSRA may be requested where:
- The entered data does not reflect the information about the consignment.
- There is a change of information about the consignment that will increase the risk (e.g. increase in the number of animals, increase in the weights, delayed departure dates into higher risk periods, etc.).
DAFF will not require an exporter to update a HSRA model for a NOI/CRMP in cases where the risk is obviously reduced, such as:
- When there are fewer animals being loaded onto each deck of the vessel.
- If the animals are of lighter weight.
- If the animals are more acclimatised.
- Delayed vessel departure date into a decreasing risk period.
Where there are multiple exporters using the same vessel and risk cannot be adequately assessed by each individual exporter submission, DAFF will work with the relevant parties to manage the matter (for example, through submission of a combined voyage HSRA).
Dean Merrilees
Assistant Secretary
Animal Export Operations Branch
Animal Division
Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Contact officer: Tamira Ford
Phone: (02) 6272 3933
Email: Livestock Export