The Department of Agriculture has released a draft report on updating the standards in place for governing the export of live animals by air.
The draft report Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock by Air is now open for public consultation.
Released in draft form by the Independent Review Committee responsible for the study, the report follows completion of the first stage of the review into livestock exports by sea.
The Department said stakeholders can now make an individual submission or contact their representative body on the Australian Standards for Export of Livestock Review Stakeholder Reference Group to contribute to broader submissions.
It said the consultation process is being run through its Have Your Say platform until 18 July after which all submissions will be published on the Department’s website to allow for a transparent consultation process.
In developing the draft report, the Committee drew on submissions it received during consultation of an issues paper in April and an independent literature review.
The final report into the review of livestock exports by air is expected by September.
The Department said the entire livestock export supply chain, from on-farm preparation to point of slaughter, is regulated and controlled by the Government under two main regulatory systems: The Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) and The Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS).
Under the laws and regulations that control the activities of Australian livestock exporters, exporters must comply with a range of stringent requirements.
These include that exporters must report on the outcomes of each voyage, including mortalities, which are then reported on a six-monthly basis to Parliament.
It said that if mortalities exceed legislated levels, a comprehensive investigation is undertaken and conditions may be placed on future shipments to mitigate risks.
The 61-page draft report can be accessed at this PS News link and a 43-page Issues Paper at this link.
