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Exporting food from Australia

Australia controls the export of meat, dairy, fish, eggs, grain, fresh fruit and vegetables and organic goods under the Export Control Act 2020. For these prescribed goods, preparation happens at a registered establishment, the exporter holds an export permit, and government certificates cover what importing countries ask for. Most consignments over A$2,000 also need an export declaration.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main law
Export Control Act 2020 and the commodity Rules made under it
Who administers it
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Prescribed food
Meat, milk, fish, eggs, grain, fresh fruit and vegetables, organic goods
Certificates
Government certificates, including phytosanitary and Halal certificates
Customs
Export declaration to the ABF for most goods over A$2,000
Origin
Certificates or declarations of origin under Australia's FTAs

Before the goods leave

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the food prescribed goods under one of the Export Control Rules? Read more
  2. 2Is it prepared at a registered establishment, under the right arrangement, with an export permit? Read more
  3. 3Which government certificate does the importing country ask for? Read more
  4. 4Does the trade description on the goods carry the required particulars? Read more
  5. 5Is an export declaration needed, and who lodges it? Read more
  6. 6Will the buyer claim a preferential tariff, and are the origin records kept? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Prescribed goods

Which foods the Export Control Act 2020 controls on export, and which it leaves out.

  • The Act creates a framework for regulating the export of goods, including agricultural products and food. Its objects include that exported goods meet importing country requirements, are traceable and, if necessary, can be recalled.
  • Rules prescribe kinds of goods and prohibit their export unless prescribed conditions are met: meat from cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer and other listed animals, bovine milk and milk products, fish, and Gallus gallus eggs, each when exported as food.
  • Prescribed grain, hay and straw, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables are prescribed plant goods; other plants and plant products become prescribed when the importing country requires a phytosanitary certificate. Plant-based oils such as olive oil are not.
  • Small consignments are generally outside the Rules, such as meat, milk, egg or fish products of not more than 10 kilograms, and some foods are prescribed only where an importing country requirement must be met through the Act, such as ice cream or meat extracts.
  • Goods described as organic, biodynamic or similar are prescribed organic goods and need an organic goods certificate in force when exported.

How we help: Compliant Always records which Export Control Rules apply to each product and destination, with the section of the Rules beside it. Ask about this

Establishments, arrangements and export permits

Where prescribed food is prepared for export, and the permit that covers each consignment.

  • For prescribed milk and milk products, operations to prepare them for export are carried out at a registered establishment, under an approved arrangement, and the exporter holds an export permit in force at the time of export (section 2-4 of the Milk Rules).
  • For prescribed plants and plant products, the conditions include a registered establishment, an accredited property where the importing country is listed, a notice of intention to export given to the Secretary, and an export permit.
  • The Secretary keeps a register of information about registered establishments, and registration can be suspended or revoked.
  • A trade description is applied to prescribed milk products before export, giving the description, net weight, country of origin, establishment registration number, name and address, ingredients, lot and food-safety storage directions. Any foreign-language part must not be inconsistent with the English.
  • Exemptions can be granted for commercial samples, experimental purposes, exceptional or special commercial circumstances, or where a provision is not needed to meet the importing country's requirements.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the establishment registration, the export permit and the trade description artwork with each shipment and lot, dated, and shows what is missing before it leaves. Ask about this

Government, phytosanitary and Halal certificates

The certificates the Department issues for food that is to be, or has been, exported.

  • A government certificate relates to matters a country requires certified before import, to requirements of the Act, or to other matters concerning the goods. It may be issued for prescribed and non-prescribed goods.
  • A government certificate may be issued electronically or in another form acceptable to the importing country, and has effect for a particular period.
  • For meat, an application for a certificate needed to meet importing country requirements is accompanied by a declaration that those requirements have been, or will be, met.
  • Halal certificates for Halal meat are issued jointly by the Secretary and a relevant Islamic organisation that holds an approved arrangement for Halal certification.
  • A phytosanitary certificate for prescribed plants is issued when an export permit is in force and the goods have been assessed; one may also be issued for non-prescribed plants.
  • Organic goods certificates are issued by approved certifying bodies or the Secretary and state that the relevant importing country requirements are met.

How we help: Compliant Always reads each certificate against what the destination asks for and shows what is missing or expiring before the next shipment. Ask about this

Export declaration and customs control

How goods are entered for export with the Australian Border Force.

  • The owner of goods intended for export must have them entered for export, by an export declaration, and must not load them until an authority to deal is in force (sections 113 and 114 of the Customs Act 1901).
  • An export declaration is needed for goods over A$2,000, for goods that need an export permit whatever their value, for duty drawback claims and for dutiable or excisable goods with duty unpaid.
  • Declarations are lodged in the Integrated Cargo System or at an ABF counter, up to six months before export, one for each consignor and consignee.
  • A permission identified in the declaration is taken to have been produced to an officer.
  • Relevant documents are kept for five years after an export declaration is made.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the export declaration number and the permits it relies on with the shipment, and shows which permits a consignment still needs. Ask about this

Certificates of origin and FTA records

Proving Australian origin to the buyer's customs for preferential tariffs.

  • A preferential proof of origin under an Australian FTA may be a certificate of origin from an authorised issuing body, or a certificate or declaration of origin completed by an authorised exporter, producer or importer, depending on the agreement.
  • Exporters and producers of goods claimed as Australian originating goods for a preferential tariff in an FTA partner carry record-keeping obligations under the Customs Act 1901, and may be asked questions to verify origin.
  • For Japan, exporters keep purchase records, proof of payment, HS classification evidence and a copy of the certificate of origin for at least five years.
  • The FTA Portal gives tariff and rules of origin information for each agreement.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps origin certificates and the purchase and classification records behind them with each shipment, dated, and answers an importer's origin questions from the record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ExporterThe export permit, the export declaration, certificate applications and origin claims.The documents for each consignment kept together, with what is missing shown before loading.
Occupier of the registered establishmentPreparing prescribed food under the approved arrangement and applying trade descriptions.Registration, arrangement and trade description records kept by product and lot.
Customs broker or freight forwarderLodging the export declaration on the owner's behalf.The permit and certificate numbers a declaration relies on, ready from the record.
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and ForestryRegistering establishments, issuing export permits and government certificates, and assessing goods.Certificates read against what the destination asks for.

Ports and certifying bodies

Export controls on food, plants and organic goods are Commonwealth law under the Export Control Act 2020, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, with registered establishments and accredited properties across the states and territories.

Export declarations go to the Australian Border Force through the Integrated Cargo System, or at an ABF counter in each state or territory.

Where are the goods going?

Most of what food have to meet is set where they are sold. Each guide sets out the rules on arrival, with the official source for each.

Questions businesses ask

Do I need a licence to export food from Australia?
For prescribed food such as meat, dairy, fish and eggs, preparation happens at a registered establishment under an approved arrangement and the exporter holds an export permit for each consignment. Other food has no general export licence, but still needs an export declaration where customs rules require one.
What are prescribed goods under the Export Control Act 2020?
Kinds of goods prescribed by Rules under the Act whose export is prohibited unless prescribed conditions are met. For food they include meat, bovine milk products, fish, Gallus gallus eggs, prescribed grain, fresh fruit and vegetables, and organic goods.
How do I get a health certificate to export food from Australia?
Apply to the issuing body for a government certificate under the Export Control Act 2020. Certificates may cover matters a country requires certified before import, and may be issued for prescribed and non-prescribed goods, electronically or in a form the importing country accepts.
Do I need a phytosanitary certificate to export fresh fruit or vegetables?
Fresh fruit and vegetables are prescribed goods. A phytosanitary certificate is issued once an export permit is in force and the goods have been assessed. Other plant products become prescribed where the importing country requires one.
Can I export a small food sample without an export permit?
Small consignments, such as meat, milk, egg or fish products of not more than 10 kilograms, are generally not prescribed goods. Exemptions can also be granted for commercial samples; for milk, a sample is up to 50 litres of liquid or 60 kilograms.
How do I export organic food from Australia?
Goods described as organic, biodynamic or similar are prescribed organic goods. The exporter holds an organic goods certificate, issued by an approved certifying body or the Secretary, in force when the goods are exported.
How do I get a Halal certificate for meat exports?
Under the Meat Rules, a Halal certificate may be issued where the importing country requires one or the exporter wants one. It is issued jointly by the Secretary and a relevant Islamic organisation holding an approved arrangement.
Does olive oil need an export permit from Australia?
Plant-based oils, such as olive oil and canola oil, are not prescribed plants or plant products under the Plants Rules, though other Rules, such as the organic goods Rules, can still apply.
When do I need an export declaration?
For goods worth more than A$2,000, goods that need an export permit whatever their value, goods on which duty drawback is claimed, and dutiable or excisable goods with duty unpaid. It is lodged with the ABF, usually through a customs broker.
Do I need a certificate of origin to export food from Australia?
Only where the buyer claims a preferential tariff or the destination requires proof of origin. Depending on the FTA, it is a certificate from an authorised body or a declaration by the exporter, and the origin records are kept, for Japan for at least five years.
How does Compliant Always help with exporting from Australia?
Our team reads the rules for the routes you ship. Compliant Always shows which export documents apply to your product, keeps them with the shipment beside what the destination asks for, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

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