The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment controls exports of agricultural products. This assures our trading partners that Australian agricultural products meet import requirements.
Efficient regulation of exports is the cornerstone of Australia’s reputation as an excellent source of reliable agricultural exports.
The department’s responsibilities and powers are defined in the Export Control Act 2020, Export Control Rules and associated legislation. We recover the cost of providing export services through export fees and charges.
Commodities controlled by the department
Export commodities controlled by the department are listed or ‘prescribed’ in the legislation. Prescribed goods—or goods included in a class of prescribed goods—include:
milk and milk products
eggs and egg products
fish and fish products
live animals
meat and meat products
poultry meat and poultry meat products
rabbit and ratite meat and rabbit and ratite meat products
wild game meat and wild game meat products
organic products
plants and plant products
wood and woodchips.
Why some products are prescribed in the legislation and others are not
The objective of the legislation is to enable trade by ensuring that export commodities meet importing country requirements and are fit for purpose. If the commodity is a food, it must be:
fit for human consumption
accurately described and labelled
fully traceable, if necessary.
The legislation sets out the list of requirements that must be met by an exporter before prescribed goods can be exported from Australia. Non-prescribed goods are not required to meet these requirements to be exported. However, where required to meet importing country requirements the department can issue export certification for non-prescribed goods.
The main types of non-prescribed goods are:
processed foods
wool
animal feed and pet food
animal by-products (such as rendered products, blood products and skins and hides)
honey
Some animal or plant by-products may be exempt from government control under the legislation, such as:
fish oil for manufacturing or pharmaceutical purposes
fish meal for pet food
A separate Export Control Rule exists for each type of prescribed good (for example, the Export Control (Meat and Meat Products) Rules 2021). These specific commodity Rules set out the specifications to be used when determining if a particular product should be deemed as a prescribed good under each commodity type.
See also:
Non-prescribed goods certification
Manual of importing country requirements (Micor).
Preparing to export a prescribed commodity
For prescribed products, the Export Control legislation defines the compliance requirements for export businesses.
For the export of live animals please refer to Exporting Live Animals.
Requirement for registration
All premises (including fishing vessels) where goods prescribed in the legislation are prepared for export must be registered to undertake those operations by the department under the Export Control Act 2020.
Preparation for export includes:
slaughter of animals and dressing of carcasses
capturing or taking fish
processing, packing or storage of goods
pre-export quarantine or isolation, treatment and testing of livestock
treatment of goods
handling or loading of goods.
The business manager must complete an Export registration form (EX26) and the establishment must be constructed and have appropriate equipment and work practises to comply with export legislation. The establishment will be audited to confirm compliance with export requirements.
Once the department provides a letter and certificate of registration, the establishment can produce a product for export. The registration certificate should be prominently displayed in the establishment.
Some importing countries may require Australian establishments to be listed before export.
Fit and proper person test
People participating in Australia’s export industry are subject to an integrity test called the fit and proper person test when applying for export licences and other regulatory approvals.
Compliance with relevant standards
Your establishment and the operations that you conduct in that establishment must meet minimum standards, including export standards and importing country requirements.
Export standards
Compliance with the standards in the export legislation will enable you to access many international markets.
Importing country requirements
Some trading partners place additional requirements on establishments that want to export to them. See importing country requirements on Micor.
For example, the European Union requires that hormone growth promotants (HGPs) or oestradiol and its ester-like derivatives are never used on cattle intended to produce meat products for European markets. The European Union also requires that these cattle have life time segregation from all other cattle. The department manages the European Union Cattle Accreditation Scheme (EUCAS) to enable establishments to meet this requirement.
An importing country may impose a requirement for listing. This means that the importing country will maintain a list of establishments that are allowed to export to them. In some cases, importing countries will expect the establishment to be successfully audited by their own officials. The department regularly hosts delegations of international officials conducting audits on establishments that want to export to these markets.
Business must have an approved arrangement
When an establishment requests to become export registered, it must have a completed approved arrangement available for assessment by the department. Application for an establishment’s approved arrangement or to vary an approved arrangement must be made on an EX26 application form.
All export registered establishments, including vessels, involved in the preparation, handling and storage of dairy, egg, fish and meat products destined for human consumption must have an approved arrangement agreed by the department.
An establishment’s approved arrangement is a ‘How to export’ document specifically written for that establishment. The approved arrangement should include the specific processes and procedures that will enable the establishment to successfully export. An approved arrangement covers all the commodities that the establishment wants to export and the requirements of destination markets.
For plants and plant products controlled by the department, an application for registration of an export establishment must be accompanied by plans, specifications and evidence of an operational record-keeping system.
This is a guide provided by https://www.awe.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/from-australia, you are advised to seek your own professional advice before exporting. Thanks to the The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment for providing this information.
