Livestock exporters with an approved arrangement (AA) must also have an approved export program (AEP). An AEP describes the activities that the accredited veterinarian (AAV) must perform. An AEP will also contain instructions for shipboard AAVs where relevant.
AEPs are specific to the components of a consignment, including the market, species and class.
The AAV ensures:
- animals are prepared as per the importing country requirements and the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL).
- the health and welfare of the livestock during the export voyage or journey.
Components of an approved export program
The three core components of an AEP are:
- governance arrangements of the exporter, including exporter information and record keeping
- instructions for land-based AAV for pre-export activities
- instructions for an AAV accompanying a voyage by sea.
Activities performed by accredited veterinarians
You must give a copy of the AEP to the AAV who will prepare your livestock for export.
Under the AEP, the AAV will:
- monitor the health and welfare of the livestock
- examine, inspect, test and/or treat where needed
- record and report on implementation of the AEP
- declare that the requirements of the AEP are met.
The AAV must comply with all legislative record keeping and reporting requirements.
Activities not required to be done by an AAV will be addressed in your AA.
How to apply
If you are a new exporter, you can apply for an export licence, approved arrangement and approved export program at the same time.
We provide information on becoming an exporter, including details on how to apply and what you will need.
Vary an existing approved export program
You may need to vary your AEP if:
- your business operations change
- the importing country’s requirements change
- you want to add or remove a market, species or class of livestock
Complete the relevant sections of the application for export licence, approved arrangement, and approved export program application form.
Submit the varied or new components of the AEP and the application form to livestockexp@aff.gov.au.
If you need to also vary your AA, you can submit these together and we will process them in the one application. You will only need to fill the application form in once.
We will contact you if we require more information.
We will notify you in writing as to the outcome of your application.
We assess applications in accordance with our client service standards. We will inform you of your application status if there are delays. See our service standards.
We charge a time-based fee in line with our charging guidelines
Approved Export Program guidelines
Download
Approved export program guidelines for the export of livestock (PDF 1.15 MB)
Approved export program guidelines for the export of livestock DOCX 1.05 MB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Auditing and compliance
We will audit your AEP as part of your regular AA audit.