Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Drought, disaster and rural support
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Levies and charges on agricultural products
    • Mouse infestation advice
    • Plant health
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Report a concern
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Plant Innovation Centre
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Budget 2025-26

    Budget 2025-26

    The 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 March 2025.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Export
  4. Controlled export goods
  5. Non-prescribed goods
  6. Export Assurance Reform for non-prescribed goods

Sidebar first - Export

  • Non-prescribed goods
    • Exporting cosmetics
    • Export assurance reform
    • Export listed establishment
      • Audits
      • Transfer certificates
    • Exporters
      • Determining a non-prescribed good
    • Forms
      • Application for export listing
      • Application for government export certificate
      • Declaration and certificate as to condition
      • Continuation or amendment of export listing
    • Industry notices
      • 2025
      • 2024
      • 2023
      • 2022
      • 2021
    • Market access advice notices
      • 2025
      • 2024
      • 2023
      • 2022
      • 2021
      • 2020
    • Step-by-step guide

Export Assurance Reform for non-prescribed goods

The Department is in the process of reforming the non-prescribed goods (NPG) export sector.

These reforms include the drafting of a new export control rule, improvement of IT systems and uplift of data capture and assurance processes that the Department will undertake on behalf of the commodities included within this sector.

At this stage, it is envisaged that the reforms will affect the wool, rendered products, skins and hides, pet food, stock feed, feed additives, processed foods, honey, pharmaceuticals, blood products industries, and more. The export regulatory framework for these commodities will be reformed to provide additional regulatory assurance under the Export Control Act 2020 (Cth) (the Act).

These industries have grown significantly and were worth $9.4 billion in 2023. Under our export legislation, the goods exported by these industries are referred to as NPGs. It is critically important that the Department seek to improve assurance processes now to ensure continued and lasting access to key foreign export markets for Australian businesses. Our goal is to ensure the export system for these goods can continue to provide the levels and types of assurance required by importing countries now and into the future. 

Why do we need reform?

Australia needs export assurance systems and processes that are efficient, fit for purpose and flexible enough to accommodate the growing success of our export industries, new products and changing risks. There are 3 main factors driving the need for reform:

  1. Importing countries require more assurances – Australian exporters operate within a landscape of ever-changing importing country requirements, which are increasing in number and complexity. For certain NPGs, importing countries now expect a higher level of government oversight than our export legislation requires. This trend is expected to continue. 
  2. Cost recovery is not appropriately attributed to where the costs originate – The current legislative framework creates a single charge point with an export certificate. It does not reflect the time and cost to the department of undertaking administrative activities and providing services to assure trading partners. This single charge point also imposes the full cost of the assurance system onto the applicant for a certificate, rather than charging at points throughout the supply chain for services provided. 
  3. Unsustainable administrative processes – The process used for exporting NPG products has become complicated and unsustainable alongside the growth of NPG industries. Reform is needed to put a new system in place that can handle the size of NPG industries and the importing country requirements now and in the future. 

Increasingly importing countries have greater expectations of government oversight over the products they accept into their countries. Importing countries now may require us to conduct audits, maintain lists of approved exporters, and give assurances covering a wide range of conditions, when previously, a government certificate was sufficient for the export of NPG goods. This combined with the growth of our export industries has required a need for reform.

The regulatory powers that will enable the required reforms of the NPG export sector are available to the department under the Export Control Act 2020. If we prescribe the export of goods currently described as NPGs, we gain access to these tools and can continue meeting importing country requirements in a modern and flexible way.

Benefits for exporters

Australian agricultural exporters will benefit from the reform by having:

  • Improved and simplified processes for exporters
  • Increased visibility and control (where necessary) of what goods are being exported to which destinations and by which exporter 
  • Department can cost recover appropriately for the services provided, allocating costs equitably to those that receive services
  • a clear approach to making decisions and providing assurance for our exports.
  • the flexibility to adapt as a system to changes in importing country requirements.
  • an appropriate, consistent and transparent management of export risks.
  • continued trust in Australia’s exports, exporters, export regulator, and our status as a world-leading trading partner.

The purpose of the new rules is to improve regulation of the export of certain types of goods derived from plants or animals which are not currently prescribed under subsection 28(1) of the Act. In the new rules these non-prescribed goods will be referred to as ‘general products’.

The policy goal of the Department is to ensure that the export conditions applying to the export of general products are co-located, easy to understand, and easy to update.

Consultation

Various industry figures have expressed desire for reform in this sector for almost a decade.

Initial consultation on the regulation of non-prescribed goods occurred in March 2023, through workshops held with industry leaders and departmental staff. Outcomes of this consultation led to the development of a new framework for regulating goods that are not currently prescribed.

Three options for regulation were publicly consulted on in a ‘Have Your Say’ process in the third quarter of 2024. This informed the selection of a preferred option, based around regulation that varies for each product depending on the requirements of the importing country.

The department additionally consulted with relevant industry stakeholders in June and October 2024. These forums, alongside consultation with other Commonwealth agencies, are intended to continue as the reforms progress

The Department identified the 3 possible regulatory options that might be considered by relevant stakeholders.

Overwhelming, option 2 was put forward as the preferred new method of regulatory uplift. This option seeks to introduce only as much regulation as required. It also seeks the Department to be flexible in its approach to providing export assurance with a sole focus on meeting importing country requirements.

Download

Export Assurance Reform: Options Paper (PDF 858 KB)
Export Assurance Reform: Options Paper (DOCX 1.1 MB)

Export Assurance Reform options - Summary paper (DOCX 245 KB)

Export Assurance Reform for NPGs - Outcomes and next steps (DOCX 1 MB)

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.

Industry Reform Committee

To support consultations, we have formed an Industry Reform Committee (IRC) composed of representatives from key NPG industry groups. The IRC acts as a conduit between government and industry throughout the reform, providing industry views directly into the process.

The following organisations are members of the IRC:

  • Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors
  • Australian Hide, Skin and Leather Exporters Association
  • Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
  • Animal Medicines Australia
  • Australian Renderers Association
  • Feed Ingredients and Additives Association Australia
  • Pet Food Industry Association of Australia
  • Stock Feed Manufacturers’ Council of Australia.

You are encouraged to contact your representative body to share your views or find out more. We will update this page with other opportunities to contribute to the reforms as they arise.

Contact

Export Assurance Reform
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO Box 858, Canberra ACT 2601
Email: Export Assurance Reform

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip
Page last updated: 27 March 2025

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram