Export Control (Meat and Meat Products) Rules 2021

This legislation sets out the detailed rules for exporting meat and meat products from Australia. It covers:

What it does:

• Defines which meat and meat products can be exported (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, buffalo, camels, deer)
• Establishes 8 mandatory conditions that must be met before export, including: meeting importing country requirements, using registered establishments, having approved arrangements in place, obtaining export permits, and for some products, holding a meat export licence
• Creates a special accreditation system for farms, feedlots and saleyards that supply animals for EU export (requiring animals to be free of hormonal growth promotants)
• Sets detailed requirements for registered establishments (slaughterhouses and processing facilities), including physical infrastructure standards, meat inspection services, and amenities for government inspectors
• Establishes rules for Halal meat certification, including requirements for Islamic organisations to hold approved arrangements
• Prescribes specific official marks that must be applied to exported meat (Australia Inspected, Australia Approved, Halal marks, EU marks)
• Sets detailed trade description requirements including animal type, weight, origin, packaging date, and batch identification
• Establishes comprehensive record-keeping, audit, and compliance verification systems

Who it affects: