12 October 2026
Species: All livestock
Country(s): All
Attention
- Accredited veterinarians
- Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council
- LiveCorp
- Livestock exporters
- Meat and Livestock Australia
- Registered establishment occupiers
Purpose
To advise stakeholders the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) version 3.4 will commence on 9 December 2026.
A final draft of ASEL 3.4 and related comparison tables are provided to support stakeholder awareness ahead of the commencement date:
Download
- Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock 3.4 - Draft (DOCX 2.2 MB)
- Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock 3.3 to 3.4 comparison tables (DOCX 3.8 MB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.
Key points
- ASEL 3.3 continues to apply for livestock exported prior to 9 December 2026.
- Updates to ASEL 3.4 include provisions relating to pregnancy (including ultrasound use and certification), registered establishment (RE) and vessel penning arrangements, pen space and rounding, and onboard roughage. It also includes definitional and administrative updates.
- The department will directly contact exporters and RE occupiers regarding ASEL 3.4 implementation, in accordance with legislative requirements.
- Exporters will receive information on how they may vary their approved arrangement (AA) to ensure export operations under the AA are compliant with ASEL 3.4.
- RE occupiers will receive documentation detailing the requirement to vary their operations manual and to provide the updated manual to the department as soon as practicable.
- The department will continue to engage with livestock industry bodies as ASEL 3.4 implementation progresses. This includes reviewing and updating relevant policies and guidance material where required to support stakeholder awareness and compliance.
Background
- ASEL sets out the minimum animal health and welfare standards exporters must meet throughout the export supply chain. ASEL is given effect under the Export Control Act 2020 and is referenced in the Export Control (Animals) Rules 2021. Exporters must comply with the ASEL to be permitted to export livestock from Australia.
- Consultation on matters relevant to the ASEL 3.4 updates commenced under EAN 2025-07 (tranche 1) and EAN 2026-09 (tranche 2). Public consultation submissions and a summary of feedback from tranche 1 are available on the Have Your Say webpage.
Carolyn White
A/g Director
Live Animal Export Branch
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Shannon Carroll
Contact officer
Phone: 02 6272 4581
Email: livestockexp@aff.gov.au