2013-12 - Administrative changes to the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System

​11 December 2013

Species

All feeder and slaughter livestock

Country

All

For information

1. Livestock exporters
2. Department of Agriculture Live Animal Exports officers
3. Livecorp/ALEC

Purpose

To advise exporters of administrative changes to the information required to be provided for Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) applications and their variations submitted on or after 18 December 2013.

Instructions

To demonstrate that an exporter can maintain control and ensure traceability within their proposed supply chain, exporters have provided the department with binding agreements and traceability documentation to show that the necessary processes outlined below will be undertaken where required in their proposed supply chain.

Exporters should now only submit the attached declaration (Attachment 1) completed by a person who is nominated as being in management or control of the livestock export business to demonstrate they can maintain control and ensure traceability within their proposed supply chain.
The declaration must include the names and addresses of the facilities in the proposed supply chain and be consistent with those included in the independent audit report and other material submitted as part of the same application.

While not required to submit them at the time of application, exporters must hold copies of the binding agreements and traceability documentation addressing the below processes as the department may require an exporter to provide further information about a proposed or approved ESCAS.

Background

The Export Control (Animals) Order 2004 requires an exporter to submit an ESCAS application should they seek to export livestock for slaughter or feeder purposes.

To maintain control and ensure traceability within a supply chain the following processes must be undertaken in a proposed supply chain for cattle and/or buffalo and sheep and/or goats as outlined below:

For cattle and/or buffalo:

Activities the exporter will complete:

1. Process to ensure all animals will be individually identified prior to departing the registered premises
2. Process to ensure system for replacement of lost, damaged or ineffective tags prior to departure from registered premises
3. Process to check individual animal identification at time of departure from registered premises
4. Process to link the individual animal identification to the supply chain and reconcile with number of animals on health certificate
5. Process to load the ship with separation of consignments on the vessel
6. Process to count animals onto the ship and reconcile with the list of individual animal identification
7. Process for removing animals from the tag list that depart from the registered premises but are not exported
8. Process for reconciliation of the mortalities on the ship with their identification
9. Contingency plans for recording individual identification in the event of equipment failure or disappearance at any point in the supply chain
Activities the importer / feedlot / holding facility will complete:
10. Process to ensure that the importer/ holding facility / feedlot operator does/do not allow animals to leave the ship except to the specified holding facility / feedlot
11. Process to count the animals off the ship and reconcile with count of individual animal identifications
12. Process for checking loading onto trucks at port and keeping a record of each truckload of animals transported from the port
13. Process for identification and recording of each animal’s entry into the feedlot/ holding facility
14. Process for reconciliation of individual animals arriving at feedlot / holding facility with identification list of animals which should have arrived at the feedlot / holding facility
15. Process for management of segregation of animals in the feedlot / holding facility by exporter and consignment to enable reconciliation and daily recording
16. Process for management and handling of animals in accordance with OIE standards
17. Process to ensure system for replacement or management of lost, damaged or ineffective tags whilst in feedlot / holding facility and at departure from feedlot / holding facility
18. Process of recording and reconciling mortalities in the feedlot / holding facility
19. Process to enable the supply of information to the exporter and auditor as required
20. Process to ensure the auditor has access to the feedlot/ holding facility and feedlot / holding facility records
21. Process for checking loading onto trucks at feedlot/ holding facility and keeping a record of each truckload of animals transported
22. Process for maintaining records which account for each animal’s entry into feedlot/holding facility
23. Process to prevent movement of animals to locations outside the approved supply chain.
Activities the abattoir / slaughter facility operator will complete:
24. Process for individual identification and recording of animal’s entry into the abattoir / slaughter facility
25. Process for maintaining records which account for each animal’s entry into abattoir / slaughter facility and slaughter date
26. Process for reconciliation of lost or damaged tags in the abattoir / slaughter facility
27. Process for separation of animals from other feedlots/exporters in the abattoir / slaughter facility
28. Process for management and handling of animals in accordance with OIE standards
29. Process to enable the supply of information to the exporter and independent auditor as required
30. Process to ensure the auditor has access to the abattoir / slaughter facility and abattoir / slaughter facility records
31. Process to prevent the movement of animals to locations outside the approved supply chain and record and movement of animals from the abattoir / slaughter facility

For sheep and/or goats:

Activities the exporter will complete:

1. Process to check that sheep and goats have an NLIS ear tag (including management of animals without tags)
2. Process to count animals onto ship
3. Process to reconcile ship mortality count
Activities the importer / feedlot / holding facility will complete:
4. Process to ensure that animals do not leave the ship except to the specified feedlot/ holding facility(s)
5. Process to count the animals off the ship
6. Process for checking loading onto trucks and keeping a record of each truckload of animals transported from the port
7. Process for counting animal’s on entry into the feedlot/ holding facility(s) and for maintaining records of the number of animals that enter the feedlot/holding facility
8. Process for reconciliation of number of animals arriving at feedlot/ holding facility(s) with number of animals which should have arrived at feedlot/ holding facility(s)
9. Process for management and handling of animals in accordance with OIE standards
10. Process of ensuring segregation of Australian origin animals from non Australian origin animals in the feedlot / holding facility
11. Process for management of lost tags in the feedlot / holding facility and at departure from the feedlot / holding facility
12. Process of recording mortalities in the feedlot/ holding facility(s)
13. Process to enable the physical location of animals to be reconciled against records throughout the supply chain
14. Process to enable the supply of information to the exporter and auditor as required
15. Process to ensure the auditor has access to the feedlot / holding facility and feedlot / holding facility records
16. Process for counting animals as they exit the feedlot / holding facility and for maintaining records of the number of animals sent to each destination
17. Process for checking loading onto trucks and keeping a record of each truckload of animals transported from the feedlot / holding facility.
18. Process to prevent movement of animals to locations outside the approved supply chain.
Activities the abattoir / slaughter facility operator will complete:
19. Process for retaining trucking records associated with delivery of animals from feedlot / holding facility
20. Process for counting animals on entry to abattoir / slaughter facility and for maintaining records of the number of animals that enter the abattoir / slaughter facility
21. Process for maintaining records of slaughter
22. Process for management and handling of animals in accordance with OIE standards
23. Process of ensuring Australian origin animals can be differentiated from non Australian origin animals in the abattoir / slaughter facility
24. Process to enable the supply of information to the exporter and auditor as required
25. Process to ensure the auditor has access to the abattoir / slaughter facility and abattoir / slaughter facility
26. Process to prevent movement of animals to locations outside the approved supply chain and record any movement of animals from the abattoir / slaughter facility

Jenny Cupit
Assistant Secretary
Animal Export Operations Branch
Live Animal Export Division
Department of Agriculture

Contact officer: Tim Naylor
Ph: (02) 6272 4581
Email: Livestock  

Attachment 1: ESCAS Control and traceability declaration