Export Supply Chain Assurance System Agreement

Transcription

1 Export Supply Chain Assurance System Agreement Minimum Standards of Accountability, Traceability and Oversigh t for Cattle Exports to Vietnam Australian livestock exporters value the trade that has been built up over the past 2 years with Vietnam. The trade has proven to be profitable and beneficial for both Australia and Vietnam and all parties involved are keen to ensure that the trade remains sustainable in the long term. The livestock trade between Australia and Vietnam is subject to the Export Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) which requires the parties to follow internationally recognised standards for animal welfare. In particular, Australian exporters are required to follow these regulations and the failure to do so can result in the suspension or cancellation of their export licence. A key component of ESCAS is control and traceability. In March 2015 Australian exporters and Vietnamese importers met to discuss serious breaches of ESCAS involving leakage from approved supply chains. As discussed such activities will compromise future exports to the market. All parties agreed that necessary steps must be taken to safeguard the trade. This document sets out agreed conditions to ensure the continuation of the trade, including: 1. Minimum standards of accountability, traceability and oversight for cattle exports to Vietnam, and 2. The consequences that will be applied if supply chain breaches are discovered and what needs to be done to remedy the situation. These standards provide guidelines on what practical measures must be implemented to ensure that ESCAS is consistently applied. This document has been unanimously accepted by all Australian livestock exporters to Vietnam and the ongoing supply of Australian livestock is dependent on Vietnamese importers accepting to work within these guidelines. Page 1 of 5

2 Minimum Standards of Accountability, Traceability and Oversight 1. Access Standard An exporter and their representative must have unrestricted access to all facilities within their supply chain - An exporter must be able to access any facility in their supply chain to undertake traceability activities 2. Traceability and Reporting Standard An exporter must be able to individually identify the location of all animals in the supply chain through an electronic and visual traceability system. - The exporter has an auditable management system for data reconciliation - RFID tags must not be removed from an animal until death is confirmed - The abattoir must send the RFID scan file with each day s kill number to the Supply Chain Officer at an agreed time - The abattoir must retain RFID tags from daily kill in a bag and labelled with the date and number of pieces - The abattoir must store RFID bags for each day s kill in a secure location until the LNC is cleared 3. Equipment Standard Essential equipment used to trace and handle livestock must be maintained in good repair and effective working order and auditable maintenance and replacement system must be place. Feedlot: The facility must have the following items in good repair and working order - At least one RFID scanner - A cattle crush - At least one stunner (and a minimum of 20 cartridges) - At least 3 cattle talkers The facility must have a maintenance and repair plan and log of activities that is accessible to Supply Chain Officers for verification purposes Abattoir: The facility must have the following items in good repair and working order - At least one RFID scanner - At least one Restraining box - One stunner and one backup stunner for each restraining box Page 2 of 5

3 - At least 3 cattle talkers The facility must have a maintenance and repair plan and log that is accessible to Supply Chain Officers for verification purposes. Supply Chain Officers must carry a spare stunner and scanner at all times. 4. SOP Documentation Standard Each facility must have knowledge of and display Standard Operating Procedures - Each facility staff member must have knowledge of SOPs relevant to their work area - SOPs must be clearly displayed and visually readable within the work area 5. Human resources standard Each supply chain must have trained and dedicated staff at each critical control point to oversee, verify and audit animal welfare and traceability Each supply chain must have:- - A dedicated AWO for each feedlot and abattoir with specific responsibility for traceability verification at arrival and dispatch and nightly kill numbers o Each AWO must be clearly identified with a distinct uniform - A Supply Chain Officer with specific responsibility for verifying all livestock movements and reconciliations on a daily basis, undertaking audits of facilities and maintaining and monitoring of CCTVs and associated footage. 6. CCTV monitoring standard Working real time CCTV at key control points with remote monitoring and recording capability Feedlot: Working CCTV at discharge and loading; and crush/raceway Abattoir: Working CCTV at unloading ramp, lairage and restraining box Page 3 of 5

4 Animal welfare and supply chain breaches and consequences Breach Consequence Remedy Supply of livestock outside of ESCAS (e.g. to Supply of Australian livestock from all Suspension period to be observed non-approved facilities, unapproved crossborder Australian exporters suspended for 6 months Corrective actions to be undertaken trafficking e.g. China) Audits to be undertaken Fraud. For example, falsifying traceability information, slaughter records Breaches reported to the Australian Department of Agriculture and all Australian Deliberate supply of livestock to facilities that have been suspended exporters notified of suspension. Threatening behaviour toward exporter representatives Refusing access to ESCAS facilities Tampering with or removing CCTV Cutting out eartags, defacing eartags Slaughtering cattle with hammers Flooding Roping / Casting Poor stunning or slaughtering practices Supply of Australian livestock from all Suspension to be observed until corrective Inadequate or poorly maintained equipment Australian exporters suspended until actions completed Unable to account for cattle. Factors such as corrective actions are taken Corrective actions to be undertaken frequency and percentage will be taken into account in determining the severity of the issue Breaches reported to the Australian Department of Agriculture and all Australian Audits to be undertaken Incorrect provision of information relating to animal welfare or movement of cattle exporters notified of suspension. Supply to approved facilities outside of approved supply chain where there are no animal welfare issues Inadequate supply of feed and water for livestock Page 4 of 5

5 Noted and agreed by: Jake Morse Australian Rural Exports (AUSTREX) Bernie Brosnan Wellard Rural Exports Peter Cory South East Asian Livestock Services (SEALS) Patrick Underwood North Australian Cattle Company (NACC) Ashley James Frontier International Agri John Cunnington Halleen Australasian Livestock Traders Nick Daws International Livestock Exports (ILE) Alison Penfold Australian Livestock Exporters Council Name: Company: Date:... Page 5 of 5