Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock 3.3
STANDARD 3 | 
Management of livestock in registered establishments

3.1.1 - The location of the registered establishment used to hold and assemble livestock prior to transport to the vessel must not be more than 8 hours journey time from the port of embarkation, unless the livestock are camels and the location of the registered establishment is otherwise provided in a camelids by sea management plan approved in writing by the department.

3.1.2 - Livestock must not leave the registered establishment to be loaded onto a vessel until the vessel is in a fit state to load livestock in relation to AMSA, biosecurity and the master's requirements, unless otherwise provided in a leaving registered establishment before vessel clearance management plan approved in writing by the department.

3.1.3 - The occupier of a registered establishment must employ sufficient appropriately trained staff for the effective day-to-day operation of the establishment and management of the livestock.

3.1.4 - To control drainage, surface water, groundwater and effluent run-off, the registered establishment must be located and/or constructed in such a manner that:

  1. surface water and livestock effluent are directed away from laneways, livestock handling areas, livestock confinement areas and feed storage areas; and
  2. the livestock confinement area of the registered establishment is free draining and that the surface remains firm; and
  3. the surfaces around feed and water troughs are evenly graded and compacted to form a hard, durable surface that readily sheds surface water.

3.1.5 - The registered establishment must be located and/or constructed in such a manner as to provide the livestock with adequate protection from adverse climatic conditions, that addresses the particular needs of the species, class and maximum number of animals to be held at the establishment and the types of operations to be carried out, by the means of:

  1. shade; and/or
  2. windbreaks; and/or
  3. shelter; and/or
  4. other means provided in a registered establishment operations manual approved in writing by the department.

3.1.6 - Livestock handling facilities and livestock sheds at registered establishment must meet specified conditions:

  1. where sheds are used:
    1. they must be constructed with sufficient drainage and ventilation to ensure that the shed is free draining; and
    2. any slatted or mesh floors must be designed and maintained to prevent entrapment of feet; and
  2. livestock handling facilities must be designed, constructed and maintained to facilitate livestock handling, inspection and separation of individual animals that prevents injury and minimises stress; and
  3. floors of yards, sheds, pens and loading ramps must have non-slip surfaces.

3.1.7 - Fencing at the registered establishment must:

  1. be appropriate to hold livestock and to prevent the unintended entry or exit of livestock; and
  2. be maintained in a good state of repair; and
  3. be inspected by the registered establishment occupier to ensure that the fences are fit for purpose, before the entry of each consignment and twice a week while livestock are in the registered establishment; and
  4. be consistent with any importing country requirements.

3.1.8 - To ensure adequate supply of feed and water, the registered establishment occupier is responsible for ensuring that:

  1. feeders, self-feeders and water troughs must be of a design or managed in such a way that prevents spoilage of feed, particularly during adverse climatic conditions; and
  2. livestock must be fed feed that is neither contaminated nor spoiled, and all pelletised feed must be placed in troughs so that animals do not eat from the ground or floor; and
  3. all livestock feed must be stored in a manner that maintains the integrity and nutritional value of the feed, and protects it from weather, pests and external contaminants including chemical spray drift, and from direct access by animals; and
  4. all livestock in the registered establishment must have access to drinking water at all times unless under curfew; and
  5. water troughs are inspected daily, kept clean and positioned apart from bedding and feed sources to prevent fouling.

3.1.9 - Water quality must be suitable for the livestock.

3.1.10 - The occupier of the registered establishment must have arrangements in place to ensure that backup water storage exists, or a contingency plan to address loss of supply is in place, to ensure continuity of water supply to all livestock held at the registered establishment at peak demand for at least 2 days. This must be a minimum daily amount of 12% of liveweight for cattle and buffalo, and 4 litres/head for sheep and goats. If temperatures exceed 35°C, water supply must be increased by 25%.

3.1.11 - The occupier of the registered establishment must have arrangements in place to prevent unauthorised entry and access to the establishment, including feed storage areas, when livestock are being prepared for export. Access to the establishment must be controlled at all times, with:

  1. all entry points to the establishment being clearly signed and able to be secured; and
  1. only those persons necessary for the day to-day operation of the establishment and government officials having direct access to the establishment; and
  2. all non-employees first reporting to reception for appropriate biosecurity checks and induction relevant to the requirements of the establishment.

3.1.12 - When receiving and identifying livestock, the occupier of the registered establishment must obtain a copy of all relevant NVDs/waybills regarding the property of source of the livestock before accepting the livestock.

3.1.13 - [deleted]

3.1.14 - All livestock accepted into the registered establishment must be offered water and feed as soon as possible after unloading and no more than 12 hours after arrival at the registered establishment. Maximum water deprivation times, as outlined in the Land Transport Standards and relevant legislation, must not be exceeded.

3.1.15 - Livestock must be individually inspected at unloading, and inspected at least daily, to determine whether they are suitable for preparation for export.

  1. Any animal must be rejected from the consignment if they:
    1. are identified as being distressed, or injured; or
    2. have a condition that could be defined as an infectious or contagious disease; or
    3. have a condition where the animal's health or welfare could decline; or
    4. could suffer distress during the export process, or are otherwise unsuitable for export (including the rejection criteria outlined in Standard 1 Table 1); or
    5. do not meet importing country requirements;
  2. All rejected animals must be individually visually marked upon identification where feasible, or at the first reasonable opportunity, by a semi-permanent or permanent method;
  3. Isolation of rejected animals from the rest of the consignment:
    1. must occur upon identification if the rejected animal is injured or suffering distress; or
    2. must occur upon identification where feasible, or at the first reasonable opportunity, if the rejected animal has an infectious or contagious disease; or
    3. should occur upon identification where feasible or at the first reasonable opportunity if the rejected animal is not suffering distress or does not have any infectious or contagious disease;
  4. Arrangements must be made for the prompt and humane handling, treatment and care of rejected livestock, including:
    1. provision of treatement to all sick or injured livestock; and
    2. provision of veterinary advice if the cause of a sickness or injury is not obvious, or if action taken to prevent or treat the problem is ineffective; and
    3. where required euthanasia and/or disposal, in compliance with all relevant and applicable legislation;
  5. All rejected animals must be removed from the consignment prior to being loaded for departure from the registered establishment to the port of embarkation.

3.1.16 - Livestock must be penned so that:

  1. animals of different species are not mixed in a single pen; and
  2. different classes of animals are not mixed in a single pen; and
  3. animals of different sexes, pregnancy status, or physical characteristics (such as those covered under any applicable management plans and entire vs castrated male livestock) are not mixed in a single pen. This excludes differences in the following categories where animals may be penned together:
    1. ewe and wether lambs;
    2. entire and spayed female livestock;
    3. ≤500kg and >500kg cattle and buffalo (provided the weight of each animal in the pen does not vary from the pen average weight by more than 50 kg, and that all animals in the pen are managed in accordance with ASEL and an approved heavy management plan); and
    4. immature bulls and steers which have been socialised in the source mob.
  4. animals of different health status are kept separated; and
  5. immature animals are separated from mature animals; and
  6. animals of a dissimilar size and/or weight are separated.

3.1.17 - Livestock for export must be held and assembled at the registered establishment in accordance with the exporter's approved arrangement and any applicable management plans.

3.1.18 - Where a period of pre-export quarantine or isolation is required by the importing country, animals forming the consignment must at all times be physically isolated to prevent contact with all other animals and as per the importing country requirements, whether the other animals are for an alternative export market or domestic use.

3.1.19 - Where handling facilities used for loading, holding, treating or inspecting livestock (including roadway and lanes) are to be used for both domestic and export livestock (including livestock with different health status), the occupier of the establishment must have procedures in place to ensure that:

  1. handling facilities are not used simultaneously by livestock of differing health status; and
  2. a minimum livestock traffic separation of 2 metres is maintained at all times, or livestock are separated by a physical barrier such as a fenced road or lane or a fully fenced empty paddock, unless otherwise specified by the importing country; and
  3. handling facilities, equipment and human resources used by different consignments of animals are managed in accordance with the pre-export quarantine or isolation requirements of each importing country.

3.1.20 - Daily monitoring of livestock health, welfare and mortality must include:

  1. inspection of all livestock by a competent stock handler; and
  2. rejection of any livestock and their management as per Standard 3.1.15; and
  3. investigation by a registered veterinarian if mortalities in any 1 paddock or shed exceed 0.1% or 3 deaths, whichever is the greater, on any 1 day for cattle and buffalo, or 0.25% or 3 deaths, whichever is greater, on any 1 day for any other species of livestock; and
  4. removal of dead livestock on a daily basis. Carcases must be disposed of in compliance with all relevant and applicable legislation.