Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock 3.3
STANDARD 6 | 
Air transport of livestock

6.4.1 - Camels must not be sourced for export unless they have become conditioned to being handled and to eating and drinking from troughs for a minimum of 14 days.

6.4.2 - Male camels that are more than 5 years of age and are in rut must not be exported in the period 1 May and 30 September (inclusive).

6.4.3 - Camels must not be sourced for export or exported unless they have been assessed by a competent stock handler against the camel body condition scoring in Table 28 and have a body condition score of 2 or more but less than 4 (on a scale of 1 to 5).

Table 28 Camel body condition score

Score

Description

Illustration

1

Little or no fat in the hump sac; hump hairy and may be leaning to one side; ischium, tuber coxae, shoulder, spinous and transverse processes of vertebrae very prominent; recto-genital zone very deep; hollow of flank very visible.

Image

2

Hump with moderate development rising 5% higher than chest depth, but may also be leaning to one side; ischium, tuber coxae, shoulder, spinous and transverse processes of vertebrae prominent; recto-genital zone deep; hollow of flank visible.

Image

3

Hump with good development and rising to 10% higher than chest depth. Hump is still sculptured inwards on both sides and still fits over the chest and abdominal area; ischium, tuber coxae, shoulder, spinous and transverse processes of vertebrae slightly prominent; recto-genital zone shallow; hollow of flank not visible.

Image

4

Hump fully developed and rising to 15% higher than chest depth. Hump rounded outwards on both sides and runs from the shoulder to the rump; ischium, tuber coxae, shoulder, spinous and transverse processes of vertebrae not visible; recto-genital zone full of fat; hollow of flank not visible.

Image

5

Hump overextended and rising more than 15% higher than chest, or so full that it is rounded on the sides like a semicircle; ischium, tuber coxae, shoulder, spinous and transverse processes of vertebrae covered in fat; recto-genital zone bulging; ribs hollow of flank not visible.

Image

Source: The Central Australian Camel Industry Assoc. Inc.

6.4.4 - Female camels sourced for export as feeder or slaughter animals must be pregnancy tested using ultrasound within 30 days prior to export, by a registered veterinarian with demonstrable current experience in camelid pregnancy diagnosis, who must certify in writing that the animal is not detectably pregnant. The certification must include the certifier's name, veterinary registration number, statement of experience, signature, the animal's identification and the date of the procedure.

6.4.5 - Female camels sourced for export as breeder animals must:

  1. be pregnancy tested using ultrasound foetal measurement by a registered veterinarian with demonstrable current experience in camelid pregnancy diagnosis;
  2. be certified in writing by the testing veterinarian as either not detectably pregnant or pregnant and if pregnant include the number of days pregnant. The certification must include the certifier's name, veterinary registration number, statement of experience, signature, the individual identification number of the animal and the date of the procedure. Certification is valid for 60 days for not detectably pregnant camels, from the date of the procedure; and
  3. be no more than 250 days pregnant at the scheduled date of export, unless otherwise provided in a last third of pregnancy management plan approved in writing by the department.

6.4.6 - Camels sourced for export must meet transport and shipping height requirements of the intended transport, meaning that camels standing normally do not touch any overhead structures.

6.4.7 - Trained camels must be penned individually for air transport. Wild-caught camels are best transported in groups in pens such as cattle pens. Use of cattle pens must be limited to camels under 300kg liveweight.

6.4.8 - Camels over 300kg must not be sourced for export or exported unless otherwise provided in a camels over 300kg management plan approved in writing by the department.