1Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) (Ruminant Feed) Regulations 2025

Version No. 001

Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) (Ruminant Feed) Regulations 2025

S.R. No. 119/2025

Version as at
7 December 2025

TABLE OF PROVISIONS

Regulation Page

1 Objectives 1

2 Authorising provision 1

3 Commencement 1

4 Revocation 2

5 Definitions 2

6 Requirements for labelling and advice notes for stock food which contains restricted animal material 3

7 Requirements for labelling and advice notes for manufactured stock food which does not contain restricted animal material 4

8 Requirements for labels and advice notes that accompany meal of animal origin 6

9 Offences to deface, damage, remove or destroy label 7

10 Offences involving mixing of stock foods 8

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Endnotes 9

1 General information 9

2 Table of Amendments 11

3 Explanatory details 12

Version No. 001

Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) (Ruminant Feed) Regulations 2025

S.R. No. 119/2025

Version as at
7 December 2025

1 Objectives

The objectives of these Regulations are—

(a) to prescribe the requirements for labels or advice notes that must accompany the sale of—

(i) stock food containing restricted animal material; and

(ii) manufactured stock food that does not contain restricted animal material; and

(iii) meal of animal origin; and

(b) to provide for offences relating to statements that accompany stock food or meal of animal origin and damage to labels that contain such statements.

2 Authorising provision

These Regulations are made under section 76 of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992.

3 Commencement

These Regulations come into operation on 7 December 2025.

4 Revocation

The Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) (Ruminant Feed) Regulations 2015[1] are revoked.

5 Definitions

In these Regulations—

Chief Veterinary Officer means the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action;

manufactured stock food means stock food that has undergone a manufacturing process, but does not include a stock food that is comprised entirely of, or any combination of, hay, straw, chaff, whole grains or whole seeds, milk products or products derived from milk;

restricted animal material means any material, tissue or blood taken from a vertebrate animal and includes meal obtained from rendering tissues and blood from animals, but does not include—

(a) gelatin, milk products and oils extracted from fish; and

(b) tallow and products containing rendered fats that comply with a specification of 2% maximum M+I (moisture plus insoluble impurities) as measured by a method approved in writing by the Chief Veterinary Officer; and

(c) oil previously used for the purposes of cooking that—

(i) has been collected, filtered (or centrifuged) and packaged in accordance with a process approved in writing by the Chief Veterinary Officer; and

(ii) complies with a specification of 2% maximum M+I (moisture plus insoluble impurities) as measured by a method approved by the Chief Veterinary Officer; and

(d) mineralised sea bird guano;

ruminant means any animal that chews its cud;

the Act means the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992.

6 Requirements for labelling and advice notes for stock food which contains restricted animal material

(1) For the purposes of section 18(1)(b) of the Act, stock food which contains restricted animal material is a prescribed class of stock food.

(2) For the purposes of section 18(1)(b) of the Act, the prescribed requirements in respect of a label or advice note that accompanies stock food referred to in subregulation (1) are that—

(a) the label or advice note must contain a statement—

(i) comprised of the following words—

"This product contains restricted animal material—DO NOT FEED TO CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, DEER OR OTHER RUMINANTS"; and

(ii) that is displayed in a prominent position; and

(iii) that is in dark print on a light background or light print on a dark background; and

(iv) that is not defaced or marked so as to be obscured; and

(b) in the case of a label, the statement referred to in paragraph (a)—

(i) if printed directly onto a bag weighing less than 20 kilograms of the stock food, must be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height; or

(ii) if printed directly onto a bag weighing 20 kilograms or more of the stock food, must be comprised of letters of 10 millimetres or more in height; or

(iii) if fixed to the outside of a package containing the stock food, must be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height; or

(iv) if the label accompanies a package of the stock food, must be contained in that label, which must measure at least 45 millimetres by 120 millimetres and be firmly attached to that package; and

(c) in the case of an advice note, the statement referred to in paragraph (a) must be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height.

7 Requirements for labelling and advice notes for manufactured stock food which does not contain restricted animal material

(1) For the purposes of section 18(1)(b) of the Act, manufactured stock food that does not contain restricted animal material is a prescribed class of stock food.

(2) For the purposes of section 18(1)(b) of the Act, the prescribed requirements in respect of a label or advice note that accompanies manufactured stock food referred to in subregulation (1) are that—

(a) the label or advice note must contain a statement—

(i) comprised of the following words—

"This product does not contain restricted animal material"; and

(ii) that is displayed in a prominent position; and

(iii) that is in dark print on a light background or light print on a dark background; and

(iv) that is not defaced or marked so as to be obscured; and

(b) in the case of a label, the statement referred to in paragraph (a)—

(i) if printed directly onto a bag weighing less than 20 kilograms of the manufactured stock food, must be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height; or

(ii) if printed directly onto a bag weighing 20 kilograms or more of the manufactured stock food, must be comprised of letters of 10 millimetres or more in height; or

(iii) if fixed to the outside of a package containing the manufactured stock food, must be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height; or

(iv) if the label is accompanies a package of the manufactured stock food, must be contained in that label, which must measure at least 45 millimetres by 120 millimetres and be firmly attached to that package; and

(c) in the case of an advice note, the statement referred to in paragraph (a) must be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height.

8 Requirements for labels and advice notes that accompany meal of animal origin

(1) For the purposes of section 20(1) of the Act, a label or advice note that accompanies meal of animal origin must contain the following statement—

"This product contains restricted animal material—DO NOT FEED TO CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, DEER OR OTHER RUMINANTS".

(2) The statement referred to in subregulation (1) must—

(a) be displayed in a prominent position; and

(b) in the case of a label—

(i) if printed directly onto a bag weighing less than 20 kilograms of the meal of animal origin, be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height; or

(ii) if printed directly onto a bag weighing 20 kilograms or more of the meal of animal origin, be comprised of letters of 10 millimetres or more in height; or

(iii) if fixed to the outside of a package containing the meal of animal origin, be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height; and

(c) if contained in an advice note, be comprised of letters of 3 millimetres or more in height; and

(d) be in dark print on a light background or light print on a dark background; and

(e) not be defaced or marked so as to be obscured.

(3) If the meal of animal origin referred to in subregulation (1) is sold in a package, the statement referred to in subregulation (1) must be contained in a label that must measure at least 45 millimetres by 120 millimetres and be firmly attached to that package.

(4) A label or advice note that complies with regulation 6 is taken to comply with the requirements of this regulation.

9 Offences to deface, damage, remove or destroy label

(1) A person must not, without reasonable excuse, deface, damage, remove or destroy a label prescribed in regulation 6 that accompanies stock food.

Penalty: 20 penalty units.

(2) A person must not, without reasonable excuse, deface, damage, remove or destroy a label prescribed in regulation 7 that accompanies manufactured stock food.

Penalty: 20 penalty units.

(3) A person must not, without reasonable excuse, deface, damage, remove or destroy a label prescribed in regulation 8 that accompanies meal of animal origin.

Penalty: 20 penalty units.

10 Offences involving mixing of stock foods

(1) A person must not cause or permit restricted animal material to be mixed with stock food intended for ruminant use.

Penalty: 50 penalty units.

(2) A person must not possess restricted animal material for the purposes of mixing it with stock food intended for ruminant use.

Penalty: 50 penalty units.

(3) A person must not place restricted animal material in stock food intended for ruminant use.

Penalty: 50 penalty units.

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Endnotes

1 General information

See www.legislation.vic.gov.au for Victorian Bills, Acts and current Versions of legislation and up-to-date legislative information.

The Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) (Ruminant Feed) Regulations 2025, S.R. No. 119/2025 were made on 25 November 2025 by the Lieutenant-Governor as the Governor's deputy, with the advice of the Executive Council, under section 76 of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992, No. 46/1992 and came into operation on 7 December 2025: regulation 3.

The Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) (Ruminant Feed) Regulations 2025 will sunset 10 years after the day of making on 25 November 2035 (see section 5 of the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994).

INTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)

Style changes

Section 54A of the ILA authorises the making of the style changes set out in Schedule 1 to that Act.

References to ILA s. 39B

Sidenotes which cite ILA s. 39B refer to section 39B of the ILA which provides that where an undivided regulation, rule or clause of a Schedule is amended by the insertion of one or more subregulations, subrules or subclauses the original regulation, rule or clause becomes subregulation, subrule or subclause (1) and is amended by the insertion of the expression "(1)" at the beginning of the original regulation, rule or clause.

Interpretation

As from 1 January 2001, amendments to section 36 of the ILA have the following effects:

• Headings

All headings included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after
1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any heading inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.
This includes headings to Parts, Divisions or Subdivisions in a Schedule; Orders; Parts into which an Order is divided; clauses; regulations; rules; items; tables; columns; examples; diagrams; notes or forms.
See section 36(1A)(2A)(2B).

• Examples, diagrams or notes

All examples, diagrams or notes included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any examples, diagrams or notes inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, form part of that Statutory Rule. See section 36(3A).

• Punctuation

All punctuation included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after
1 January 2001 forms part of that Statutory Rule. Any punctuation inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.
See section 36(3B).

• Provision numbers

All provision numbers included in a Statutory Rule form part of that Statutory Rule, whether inserted in the Statutory Rule before, on or after
1 January 2001. Provision numbers include regulation numbers, rule numbers, subregulation numbers, subrule numbers, paragraphs and subparagraphs. See section 36(3C).

• Location of "legislative items"

A "legislative item" is a penalty, an example or a note. As from 13 October 2004, a legislative item relating to a provision of a Statutory Rule is taken to be at the foot of that provision even if it is preceded or followed by another legislative item that relates to that provision. For example, if a penalty at the foot of a provision is followed by a note, both of these legislative items will be regarded as being at the foot of that provision. See section 36B.

• Other material

Any explanatory memorandum, table of provisions, endnotes, index and other material printed after the Endnotes does not form part of a Statutory Rule. See section 36(3)(3D)(3E).

2 Table of Amendments

There are no amendments made to the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) (Ruminant Feed) Regulations 2025 by statutory rules, subordinate instruments and Acts.

3 Explanatory details

1. Reg. 4: S.R. No. 146/2015.

——

Penalty Units

These Regulations provide for penalties by reference to penalty units within the meaning of section 110 of the Sentencing Act 1991. The amount of the penalty is to be calculated, in accordance with section 7 of the Monetary Units Act 2004, by multiplying the number of penalty units applicable by the value of a penalty unit.

The value of a penalty unit for the financial year commencing 1 July 2025 is $203.51. The amount of the calculated penalty may be rounded to the nearest dollar.

The value of a penalty unit for future financial years is to be fixed by the Treasurer under section 5 of the Monetary Units Act 2004. The value of a penalty unit for a financial year must be published in the Government Gazette and a Victorian newspaper before 1 June in the preceding financial year. ↑