Contact Officers:

Christine Coulson
Director – Projects
Export Meat Program
02 6272 4167

Anna Somerville
Director Meat Market Access
Export Standards Branch
02 6272 3892

Category: Legal requirements including market access requirements

Date of Effect: Immediate

Date of Review: August 2017

Distribution Categories

Central and regional office
Department on-plant officer(s)
Managers, export meat establishments

1. Purpose

This notice provides China listed beef export registered establishments with new requirements for implementing an operator testing program for lead residues.

2. Scope

This notice applies to all China listed beef establishments.

Following negotiations with Chinese authorities, it has been agreed that China listed beef establishments will implement, for an initial period of 6 months, an operator testing program for lead residues in cattle livers. This program will be reviewed at the end of the 6 month period.

3. Responsibilities

3.1 Establishment management must:
a.Implement an operator testing program for lead residues in cattle livers as notified in this notice.
b.Amend the occupier’s arrangement to describe how establishment management will implement the lead residue testing program.
c.Submit the amended arrangement through the On-Plant Veterinarian (OPV) to the Area Technical Manager (ATM) for approval
d.Report any sample test result of 0.25 mg/kg or greater to the OPV and provide the accompanying sample collection information and documentation to facilitate traceback activities.
e.Discuss the reported residue result at next weekly meeting with OPV.

3.2 Departmental on-plant officers will:
a.provide establishment management with a copy of this meat notice as soon as possible
b.verify the establishment responsibilities and actions of this meat notice have been included in the occupier’s arrangement
c.verify the establishment complies with the requirements of this notice
d.report any sample test result of 0.25 mg/kg or greater, including accompanying sample collection information and documentation to the MID Coordination mailbox.
e.Notify the ATM of any reported test result through the weekly report.

3.3 Area technical managers will:
a.review the occupier’s arrangement to incorporate a testing program for lead residues in cattle livers
b.approve or not approve the arrangement as per their findings
c.verify, through audit, the occupier’s compliance with this short term targeted lead residue testing program.

4. Requirements

To provide greater assurances to China, all establishments slaughtering cattle for the Chinese market are required to implement a food business operator (operator) testing program for the presence of lead residues in cattle liver. This monthly residue testing program is the responsibility of establishment management, including collection, packaging and dispatch of samples, recording of compliance with the testing program requirements, and storage of the test results. This short term targeted (6 month) testing program commences in February 2017 and continues through to end of July 2017. The first monthly liver must be collected and dispatched to the laboratory before the end of February 2017.

The requirements of this program are outlined below:

Sample Collection
•Company Quality Assurance (QA) staff collect one liver sample monthly between February and July 2017 (6 samples in total).
•Liver sample should be approximately 200g.
•Do not include any fat or sinew with the liver sample.

Sample Collection Records

Record and retain the following details and documents for each sample collection in the event a regulatory traceback is required:
•Date of sample collection
•Date of slaughter of sampled animal
•National Livestock Identification system (NLIS) number
•Radio frequency identification (RFID) number
•Property Identification Code (PIC) number
•(slaughter) Body number
•Sex (male, female, castrated male)
•Class of animal (e.g. steer, heifer, bull, cow, calf, etc)
•Dentition/age of animal sampled
•Sample collector’s name
•Establishment number, name and address
•Consignment note (connote) barcode and details of the courier company used (for traceability purposes)
•Documents to be retained for each sample collected (for traceability purposes):
•National Vendor Declaration (NVD)
•Kill sheet showing body number
•Life history (from NLIS)
•Copy of completed sample submission form

Sample Packaging
•Samples should be sealed in company provided Ziploc or freezer bags, and then “re-bagged” to avoid leaks.
•Pack in a small esky or box with frozen ice bricks and newspaper for insulation.

Sample Dispatch
•Sample should be clearly identified and labelled.
•Sample should be completely hard frozen (ie frozen overnight) prior to dispatch and and packed with frozen ice bricks.
•Dispatch liver samples to the laboratory only on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
•Samples must be dispatched by OVERNIGHT courier of company’s choice.
•Send directly to the laboratory, NMI NSW

Attention:

Andrew Evans, Lead in liver testing
NMI NSW
105 Delhi Road
North Ryde NSW 2113
•Complete the attached NMI sample submission form. Include the completed sample submission form in the esky/box inside another plastic bag.

Do not use any NRS packaging materials, including tape, boxes, bags etc. The company must provide their own packaging materials and organise and pay for transport costs. Laboratory testing costs will be covered by cattle levy funds for a 6 month period.

Test Result Storage and Reporting
•The laboratory will report the test result to the submitting establishment
•Establishment management need to record and store test results, and provide access to the results to department officials and overseas officials upon request.
•Establishment management must report any test result that exceeds 0.25 mg/kg to the On-Plant Veterinarian (OPV).
◦OPVs will report the test result and identifying sample collection information and documentation to the MID Coordination mailbox to permit official traceback investigation to be initiated. They will also notify the ATM through their weekly report.

Angela O’Sullivan
Director
Export Meat Program

Other format
​ Meat Notice 2017-​01
​​​PDF icon PDF [398​ KB]

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http://www.agriculture.gov.au/export/controlled-goods/meat/elmer-3/notices/2017/mn17-01