2010-2011-2012-2013 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live Animal Export Restriction and 

Prohibition Bill 2013 

 

No.      , 2013 

 

(Mr Wilkie) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to restrict the export of live 

animals for slaughter pending its prohibition, and 

for related purposes 

 

 

 

 

i       Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2013       No.      , 2013 

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

 

 

 

 

Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2013       No.      , 2013       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 Restriction and 

6 

Prohibition Act 2013. 

7 

2  Commencement 

8 

 

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

9 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

2            Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2013       No.      , 2013 

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repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 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 

 

 

7 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2013       No.      , 2013            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 

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

30 

Export Control Act 1982. 

31 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

4            Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2013       No.      , 2013 

Transitional provision 

1 

 

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

2 

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

3 

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

4 

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

5 

Export Control Act 1982 

6 

4  After Part IIA 

7 

Insert: 

8 

Part IIB--Export of live-stock for slaughter 

9 

   

10 

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

11 

 

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

12 

Prohibition on export of live-stock for slaughter unless certain 

13 

conditions fulfilled 

14 

 

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

15 

slaughter are prescribed goods. 

16 

 

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

17 

for slaughter unless permitted by or in accordance with the 

18 

regulations. 

19 

 

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

20 

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

21 

granted under the regulations, unless the Secretary is satisfied 

22 

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

23 

of destination or that there are grounds for a transitional 

24 

exemption. 

25 

When live-stock are treated satisfactorily 

26 

 

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

27 

of destination if they will be: 

28 

 

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

29 

Holding Standards; and 

30 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2013       No.      , 2013            5 

 

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

1 

slaughtered in accordance with the OIE Guidelines; and 

2 

 

(c)  stunned using appropriate humane restraints immediately 

3 

before slaughter. 

4 

 

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

5 

satisfactorily, the Secretary may take into account; 

6 

 

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

7 

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

8 

country of export; and 

9 

 

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

10 

persons or to the same country; and 

11 

 

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

12 

When there are grounds for a transitional exemption 

13 

 

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

14 

grounds for a transitional exemption if: 

15 

 

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

16 

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

17 

the commencement day if the export does not take place at 

18 

that time; or 

19 

 

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

20 

day--the person: 

21 

 

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

22 

commencement day if the export does not take place at 

23 

that time; and 

24 

 

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

25 

be treated satisfactorily; and 

26 

 

(iii)  has made reasonable attempts to ensure that the 

27 

live-stock will be treated satisfactorily; and 

28 

 

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

29 

contract to avoid the obligation. 

30 

Definitions 

31 

 

(8)  In this section: 

32 

commencement day means the day on which the Live Animal 

33 

Export Restriction and Prohibition Act 2013 commenced. 

34 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

6            Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2013       No.      , 2013 

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

1 

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 

2 

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

3 

published by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and 

4 

Forestry, with the following modifications: 

5 

 

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

6 

premises"; 

7 

 

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

8 

to "holding pen"; 

9 

 

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

10 

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

11 

 

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

12 

outlined in Appendix 3.1" are deleted from Standard 3.17. 

13 

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

14 

Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997. 

15 

OIE Guidelines means the relevant sections of the current version 

16 

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

17 

World Organisation for Animal Health). 

18 

9P  Ban on export of live-stock for slaughter 

19 

 

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

20 

 

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

21 

slaughter are prescribed goods. 

22 

 

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

23 

for slaughter absolutely. 

24