6.3.1 - Buffalo must have been weaned at least 14 days prior to sourcing for export, unless the exporter has approval under Standard 6.1.17 to export livestock with young at foot.

6.3.2 - Buffalo 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 21 days.

6.3.3 - Buffalo sourced for export must have an individual liveweight of between 150kg and 650kg (inclusive). Animals outside these weights must not be sourced for export or exported, unless:

1. for buffalo less than 150kg, the exporter has approval under Standard 6.1.20 to export miniature or light weight breed livestock; or
2. for buffalo more than 650kg, otherwise provided in a heavy buffalo management plan approved in writing by the department.

6.3.4 - Buffalo must not be sourced for export or exported unless they have been assessed by a competent stock handler against the buffalo body condition scoring in Table 26 and have a body condition score of 2 or more but less than 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5).

Table 26 Buffalo body condition score

Score 1 to 5 for export purposes	Description	P8 fat mm thickness	Loin surface	Illustration of vertical section of the loin region between spinous and traverse processes
1	Emaciated; very weak – extreme muscle wastage. All bones highly visible. Skin 'draped' over skeleton. Unsteady gait.	0	Severely concave
2	Lean; short ribs visible, hook and pin bones still prominent. Can easily count all ribs. Some muscle depletion. No subcutaneous fat visible or palpable.	0	Moderately concave
3	Store; (average) good muscle definition, with fat starting to be deposited, rib outlines disappearing, hook and pin bones still defined.	1 to 4	Level, even slope
4	Prime; quite even and smooth over whole backline. Muscling becoming more convex due to fat deposition.	5 to 35	Moderately convex
5	Overfat; usually only mature cows can achieve this condition. Bulbous fat deposits both sides of tail head. Pin and hook bones not discernible.	>36	Severely convex, crease/dip along spine

Source: NT Buffalo Industry Council Inc.

6.3.5 - Female buffalo sourced for export as feeder or slaughter animals must be:

1. be accompanied by a spay declaration from the owner or manager of the premises where the procedure was performed including name, contact information and signature, that certifies that the animal has been spayed not less than 30 days prior to export using the Willis dropped ovary technique and includes the animal's individual NLIS identification number and date of the procedure; or
2. be accompanied by a spay declaration from the owner or manager of the premises where the procedure was performed including name, contact information and signature, that certifies that the animal has been spayed not less than 280 days prior to export and includes the animal's individual NLIS identification number and date of the procedure; or
3. be pregnancy tested using manual palpation, approved blood test, or if the animal is too small to be manually palpated safely, ultrasound within 30 days prior to export, by a registered veterinarian who must certify in writing that the animal is not detectably pregnant. The certification must include the certifier's name, registration number and signature, and the animal's individual NLIS identification number and the date of the procedure.

6.3.6 - Female buffalo sourced for export as breeder animals must be no more than 220 days pregnant at the scheduled date of export, unless otherwise provided in the last third of pregnancy management plan approved in writing by the department, and must be pregnancy tested:

1. by a registered veterinarian using an approved blood test; and
   1. if the test result is negative, be certified in writing as not detectably pregnant; or
   2. if the test result is positive, undergo testing as per b) or c) below; or
2. by a registered veterinarian that attests to current experience and competency in buffalo pregnancy diagnosis, using manual palpation; and
   1. if the test result is negative, be certified in writing as not detectably pregnant; or
   2. if the test result is positive, be certified in writing as pregnant with number of days pregnant stated; or
3. by a registered veterinarian that is accredited under the PREgCHECK (NCPD) Scheme if the animal is too small to be manually palpated safely, using ultrasound; and
   1. if the test result is negative, be certified in writing as not detectably pregnant; or
   2. if the test result is positive, be certified in writing as pregnant with number of days pregnant stated; and
4. with the certification stating the animal's individual NLIS identification number and date of the procedure, the certifier's name, registration number and signature, their PREgCHECK accreditation number and a statement of their accreditation if ultrasound is used, and the animal's individual NLIS identification number. Certification is valid for 60 days for not detectably pregnant buffalo, from the date of the procedure.

6.3.7 - Buffalo with horns must only be sourced for export or exported if they have:

1. blunt horns; and
2. horns that are less than the spread of the ears, unless otherwise provided in a long-horned livestock management plan approved in writing by the department.

6.3.8 - Buffalo must be penned in accordance with the minimum aircraft crate pen area requirements shown in Table 27. For weights between those shown in Table 27, the minimum pen area per head must be calculated by linear interpolation.

6.3.9 - When calculating pen space allocation, the pen area per head must be increased by 10% for buffalo with horns less than the spread of the ears.

Table 27 Minimum aircraft crate pen area for buffalo exported by air