2017-08 - Announcement of ASEL review

27 July 2017

Species: All livestock

Country: Australia

For information:

1. Department Officers
2. Livestock Exporters
3. LiveCorp
4. Australian Livestock Export Industry (ALEC)
5. Australian Government Accredited Veterinarians
6. Registered Premises Operators

Purpose

To inform all livestock export industry participants that applications are now open for eligible candidates to apply to join the technical advisory committee that will review the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) in consultation with stakeholders.

Key Points

1. The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (the department) has committed to a review of ASEL to begin in 2017.
2. The review process will involve the appointment of a technical advisory committee to conduct the review in consultation with stakeholders. The committee will consist of an independent chair, experts in animal health and welfare, the livestock export industry, and standards development/government regulation.
3. A media release announcing the review and calling for applications from suitably qualified members of the public was published on 27 July 2017.
4. Committee members will be selected for their relevant skills, experience and qualifications. They must also meet specific eligibility requirements as set out by the department. See the committee’s terms ​of reference and committee handbook for further detail.
5. The review will be conducted as a series of modules with each module expected to take six to eight months to complete. In each of these modules the committee will conduct public submission processes to ensure all interested stakeholders are given the opportunity to participate in the review process.
6. The initial module of the review will circulate a modernised draft of ASEL prepared by the department that includes the agreed items from the 2013 review report and will call for public submissions. The committee will consolidate the issues raised in stakeholder submissions in to establish a work plan of priority issues for future modules.
7. Dividing the review into modules allows the committee to address issues in priority order aligning review topics with projected research outcomes.
8. The committee will consider issues raised in submissions and evaluate modern animal health and welfare and livestock management practices, relevant research findings, and export performance using sound scientific and risk management principles to draft recommendations to the department.
9. The upcoming review will be further discussed at the livestock export industry consultative meeting in Darwin on Tuesday 15 August 2017.

Instructions

1. All industry participants are encouraged to:​
   1. notify potential candidates for the committee about the review and direct them to the department’s website for further information and to apply.
   2. if you so wish, prepare to note any issues you have with the current ASEL in order to provide your comments via a submission to the ASEL review in late 2017.

Further Information

Further information about the review process, and how to apply is available on the department’s website.

Should you have further enquiries about the review or the committee, please contact the department at TAC Secretariat.

Trysh Stone
A/g Assistant Secretary
Live Animal Exports Branch
Exports Division
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources

Phone: 02 6272 4581
Email: Livestock Export