Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock updates

Livestock exporters must meet the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL). ASEL sets the minimum animal health and welfare standards for exported livestock.

We review and update ASEL regularly. We ensure the standards are fit for purpose and based on the latest science and evidence.

You’re welcome to give us feedback on ASEL by emailing aselreview@agriculture.gov.au.

Next ASEL update

We are currently working on the next update to ASEL. We are considering stakeholder feedback on ASEL issues, and findings and recommendations made by recent and current reviews. We’ve identified key areas, including:

• near and far market definitions
• marking and isolation of rejected livestock
• housing and management of sheep in registered establishments
• contingency fodder requirements
• requirements for reporting
• implementation of ammonia monitoring and stock handlers on aircraft.

We’ll engage with stakeholders when reviewing and drafting ASEL 3.3. We’ll consult through our Have Your Say platform. Some of the changes may need a technical analysis and a separate consultation.

ASEL updates 2021

On 18 November 2021 we published ASEL 3.2 to replace ASEL 3.1. The update aimed to:

• reduce ambiguity
• improve readability and usability
• apply previously agreed standards.

Key changes included:

• clarified definitions, certification requirements, segregation of animals
• expanded use of approved blood tests in pregnancy diagnosis
• more flexibility in pen space and record-keeping for sheep in registered establishments
• more flexibility in penning animals together
• adding a notification requirement for loading of foreign fodder
• more flexibility in allocating crate space for livestock exported by air
• removing redundant standards.

For more detail on changes made in ASEL 3.2, you can download a tracked changes version.

Stakeholder consultation

We published a draft ASEL 3.2 on Have Your Say for 4 weeks. Stakeholders gave feedback before finalisation of the standards.

We received 14 submissions, 9 in confidence.

Submissions

Submissions with permission to publish from the authors follow. These documents are not authored by us and may not meet accessibility requirements.

Legal statement

The following submissions are owned by the relevant organisations and individuals, and as such they are responsible for the factual accuracy of these documents. Some of the content has been redacted on privacy grounds. The department also reserves the right to not publish any submissions which it deems inappropriate. The views contained in these submissions represent the views of the authors and are not necessarily those of the department or the Australian Government.

ASEL 3.1

We published ASEL 3.1 in March 2021 to replace ASEL 3.0. We aligned text with the Export Control Act 2020 and the Export Control (Animals) Rules 2021.

Updates included:

• new legislative references for the Export Control Act 2020 and the Export Control (Animals) Rules 2021
• Australian Government Accredited Veterinarians (AAVs) changed to accredited veterinarians
• health certificates changed to certificates of health
• registered premises changed to registered establishments
• operators (of a registered establishment) changed to occupiers.

Major reviews

An independent Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) reviewed ASEL 2.3 in 2018-19. The TAC included experts in animal health, regulatory design and the livestock industry.

The outcome of the sea and air reviews included 83 recommendations. We used these, along with stakeholder feedback, to develop ASEL 3.0.

ASEL 3.0 was published in November 2020 and included:

• increased preparation time for some livestock at registered premises
• changes to the notifiable mortality rate for livestock and its requirements
• new definition of voyage length with changes for personnel, bedding and feed requirements
• inclusion and extension of management plans for sea and air exports
• new general requirements, and species-specific requirements for standards 1, 3, 5 and 6.

See more

Export Control Act 2020

Export Control (Animals) Rules 2021

Live Animal Export Advisory Notices

Animal Welfare

Contact us

GPO Box 858, Canberra ACT 2601 Australia

For ASEL questions or feedback email aselreview@agriculture.gov.au.