7 April 2021
Who does this notice affect?
This notice is of particular interest to importers of bovine dairy products for human consumption that subsequently need to repurpose imported dairy ingredients for animal feed.
What has changed?
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (department) is amending the import permit conditions that allow for bovine dairy for human consumption to be repurposed as animal feed if it becomes unfit for human consumption. Permits that allow for dairy to be repurposed as animal feed are not generally issued and must be specially requested at the time the permit application is made. These permits will be assessed more rigorously and will include assessment of the manufacturing facility and the goods that are located at the manufacturing site in addition to the normal assessment process. Permits to repurpose dairy will only be issued for goods where all ingredients contained in the product are eligible for animal feed except for imported dairy, which is normally not allowed to be repurposed as animal feed.
The additional import condition will require importers to request and be granted approval to repurpose the dairy for animal feed prior to repurposing the goods. The department is implementing these changes to introduce a more robust traceability system and gain a better understanding of the repurposing process. The information collected will be used to help inform and drive future dairy policy.
To enable imported dairy for human consumption to be eligible for repurposing as animal feed, importers must hold a valid permit that allows for the dairy to be repurposed and seek and be granted approval by the department for each lot of goods prior to the goods being repurposed. When seeking approval, the following information must be provided:
- Import permit number (for a permit that allows for the imported dairy to be repurposed for animal feed).
- Australian Import Management system (AIMS) entry number or Self-Assessed Clearance (SAC) entry number.
- Original quantity of product imported in the consignment.
- Quantity requested for repurposing to animal feed.
- Reason for the goods to be repurposed for animal feed rather than being used for human consumption.
- Purchaser of repurposed goods.
- Species intended for the consumption of the repurposed goods.
The department will assess requests to repurpose each lot of dairy at no cost to the importer, and grant approval where applicable. Existing permits will not be varied to the new conditions and will remain valid until they expire.
When are the changes being implemented?
Permits that allow for dairy to be repurposed as animal feed can be applied for now.
Information
If you require any further information, or have questions about these changes, please contact Food Biosecurity Imports on 1800 900 090 or email imports@agriculture.gov.au.