Export of livestock to the State of Sarawak, Malaysia

Attention

• Licenced livestock exporters
• Meat and Livestock Australia
• LiveCorp
• Australian Livestock Exporters' Council
• Departmental staff

Purpose

To advise licenced livestock exporters of recent changes to the import conditions for livestock exported from Australia to the State of Sarawak (Sarawak), Malaysia.

Key points

• On 3 April 2023 and 17 April 2023, the Department of Veterinary Services, Sarawak, published updated import conditions for livestock.
• The updated import conditions, as published, are not able to be complied with by licensed livestock exporters.
• Licenced livestock exporters seeking to export livestock to Sarawak will need to seek dispensations, via their importer, on an import permit by import permit basis for each consignment.

Instructions

1. Licenced livestock exporters sourcing and preparing livestock for export to Sarawak must seek import permit(s) for each consignment.
2. Licenced livestock exporters must review the issued import permit(s) and attached import conditions and seek written dispensations through their importer for all clauses that are unable to be met.
   1. The antibiotic, streptomycin sulphate, is not able to be administered to livestock in Australia.
   2. State and territory governments are not able to certify to state, district or area freedom from non-notifiable diseases in the absence of an official active surveillance program. 
   3. Laboratory tests for certain diseases may not be available in Australia.
3. The import permit and any required dispensations must be submitted to the department with the relevant Notice of intention to export (NOI) application.
4. If uncertain whether the import conditions attached to an import permit can be met, licenced livestock exporters should send the import permit and attached import conditions to: livestockexp@agriculture.gov.au.  

Patrick Cass
Director
Live Animal Export Branch
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
 
Tim Naylor
Contact officer
Phone: 02 6272 4581
Email livestockexp@agriculture.gov.au