2013-2014 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending 

Cruelty) Bill 2014 

 

No.      , 2014 

 

(Mr Wilkie) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to restrict the export of live 

animals for slaughter pending its prohibition, and 

for related purposes 

   

   

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014 

i 

 

Contents 

1 

Short title ........................................................................................... 1

 

2 

Commencement ................................................................................. 1

 

3 

Schedule(s) ........................................................................................ 2

 

Schedule 1--Amendments

 

3

 

Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997

 

3

 

Export Control Act 1982

 

4

 

 

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014 

1 

 

A Bill for an Act to restrict the export of live 

1 

animals for slaughter pending its prohibition, and 

2 

for related purposes 

3 

The Parliament of Australia enacts: 

4 

1  Short title 

5 

 

  This Act may be cited as the Live Animal Export Prohibition 

6 

(Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014. 

7 

2  Commencement 

8 

 

  This Act commences on the day after it receives the Royal Assent. 

9 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

2 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014 

No.      , 2014 

 

3  Schedule(s) 

1 

 

  Each Act specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or 

2 

repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 

3 

concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect 

4 

according to its terms. 

5 

 

6 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014 

3 

 

Schedule 1

--

Amendments 

1 

   

2 

Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997 

3 

1  Section 3 

4 

Insert: 

5 

live-stock for slaughter means live-stock that are intended to be 

6 

exported and slaughtered overseas. 

7 

2  At the end of section 10 

8 

Add: 

9 

 

(4)  A licence under this section does not permit a person to export 

10 

live-stock for slaughter on or after 1 July 2017. 

11 

3  After section 16 

12 

Insert: 

13 

16A  Export licence for live-stock for slaughter subject to additional 

14 

conditions 

15 

 

(1)  The following conditions apply in relation to a licence to export 

16 

live-stock for slaughter: 

17 

 

(a)  the licence holder will take all reasonable efforts to ensure 

18 

that the live-stock are treated satisfactorily in the country of 

19 

destination; 

20 

 

(b)  if the licence holder becomes aware of evidence that 

21 

live-stock exported by the licence holder have not been 

22 

treated satisfactorily, the licence holder will notify the 

23 

Secretary in writing within 14 days after the licence holder 

24 

becomes aware. 

25 

 

(2)  In this section: 

26 

licence to export live-stock for slaughter means any licence issued 

27 

under this Act to export live-stock, to the extent that it permits the 

28 

export of live-stock for slaughter. 

29 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

4 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014 

No.      , 2014 

 

treated satisfactorily has same meaning as in section 9N of the 

1 

Export Control Act 1982. 

2 

Transitional provision 

3 

 

(3)  Paragraph (1)(a) does not apply in relation to live-stock exported 

4 

under a permission, consent or approval that was issued under the 

5 

Export Control Act 1982 on the basis that the exporter had grounds 

6 

for a transitional exemption under subsection 9N(7) of that Act. 

7 

Export Control Act 1982 

8 

4  After Part IIA 

9 

Insert: 

10 

Part IIB--Export of live-stock for slaughter 

11 

   

12 

9N  Conditions on export of live-stock for slaughter until 1 July 2017 

13 

 

(1)  This section applies until immediately before 1 July 2017. 

14 

Prohibition on export of live-stock for slaughter unless certain 

15 

conditions fulfilled 

16 

 

(2)  The regulations are taken to have declared that live-stock for 

17 

slaughter are prescribed goods. 

18 

 

(3)  The regulations are taken to have prohibited the export of livestock 

19 

for slaughter unless permitted by or in accordance with the 

20 

regulations. 

21 

 

(4)  Live-stock for slaughter may not be exported, and a licence, 

22 

permission, consent or approval to export the live-stock may not be 

23 

granted under the regulations, unless the Secretary is satisfied 

24 

either that the live-stock will be treated satisfactorily in the country 

25 

of destination or that there are grounds for a transitional 

26 

exemption. 

27 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014 

5 

 

When live-stock are treated satisfactorily 

1 

 

(5)  Live-stock for slaughter will be treated satisfactorily in the country 

2 

of destination if they will be: 

3 

 

(a)  kept in that country in holding premises that comply with the 

4 

Holding Standards; and 

5 

 

(b)  transported to slaughter, unloaded, kept in lairage and 

6 

slaughtered in accordance with the OIE Guidelines; and 

7 

 

(c)  stunned using appropriate humane restraints immediately 

8 

before slaughter. 

9 

 

(6)  In forming a view as to whether live-stock will be treated 

10 

satisfactorily, the Secretary may take into account; 

11 

 

(a)   any undertakings given by, or contractual or legislative 

12 

obligations on, persons who will control the live-stock in the 

13 

country of export; and 

14 

 

(b)  any history of exports of live-stock for slaughter to the same 

15 

persons or to the same country; and 

16 

 

(c)  any other matters that he or she considers relevant. 

17 

When there are grounds for a transitional exemption 

18 

 

(7)  A person who proposes to export live-stock for slaughter has 

19 

grounds for a transitional exemption if: 

20 

 

(a)  for export within 3 months after the commencement day--

21 

the person will be in breach of a contract entered into before 

22 

the commencement day if the export does not take place at 

23 

that time; or 

24 

 

(b)  for export between 3 and 6 months after the commencement 

25 

day--the person: 

26 

 

(i)   will be in breach of a contract entered into before the 

27 

commencement day if the export does not take place at 

28 

that time; and 

29 

 

(ii)  is unable to satisfy the Secretary that the live-stock will 

30 

be treated satisfactorily; and 

31 

 

(iii)  has made reasonable attempts to ensure that the 

32 

live-stock will be treated satisfactorily; and 

33 

 

(iv)  has made reasonable attempts to re-negotiate the 

34 

contract to avoid the obligation. 

35 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

6 

Live Animal Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty) Bill 2014 

No.      , 2014 

 

Definitions 

1 

 

(8)  In this section: 

2 

commencement day means the day on which the Live Animal 

3 

Export Prohibition (Ending Cruelty)Act 2014 commenced. 

4 

Holding Standards means Standards 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7(a), 

5 

3.7(b), 3.7(e), 3.7(f), 3.7(g), 3.7(h), 3.11, 3.14, 3.16 and 3.17 of the 

6 

Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (Version 2.3), 

7 

published by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and 

8 

Forestry, with the following modifications: 

9 

 

(a)  references to "registered premises" are changed to "holding 

10 

premises"; 

11 

 

(b)  references to "paddock or shed" in Standard 3.16 are changed 

12 

to "holding pen"; 

13 

 

(c)  references to "date of export" in Standard 3.16 are changed to 

14 

"date of delivery to slaughter facility or other disposal"; 

15 

 

(d)  the word "rejected" and the words "Criteria for rejection are 

16 

outlined in Appendix 3.1" are deleted from Standard 3.17. 

17 

live-stock for slaughter has the same meaning as in the Australian 

18 

Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997. 

19 

OIE Guidelines means the relevant sections of the current version 

20 

of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code published by the OIE (the 

21 

World Organisation for Animal Health). 

22 

9P  Ban on export of live-stock for slaughter 

23 

 

(1)  This section applies on and from 1 July 2017. 

24 

 

(2)  The regulations are taken to have declared that live-stock for 

25 

slaughter are prescribed goods. 

26 

 

(3)  The regulations are taken to have prohibited the export of livestock 

27 

for slaughter absolutely. 

28