A NSW Government website

Livestock export

Information on exporting live animals from Australia.

NSW Health certification for the export of livestock and other animals


Information on exporting live animals from Australia can be found on the Department of Agriculture's website. You should always check with the exporter for current requirements.


Health certification

The MICoR website lists importing country requirements (ICRs) for the various species and also for semen and embryos.

Certification of property freedom from notifiable diseases

There is a legal obligation on owners or other persons involved with animals to notify the presence of certain diseases in NSW. These are called notifiable diseases. A list of these diseases can be found in Notifiable Animal Diseases in NSW factsheet.

Certification of property freedom from notifiable diseases may be carried out by State Government and Local Land Services staff who are gazetted as inspectors under animal health legislation. Inspectors have access to the required declaration forms for each species.

Certification of property freedom from non-notifiable diseases

If the importing country requires certification for a disease that is not notifiable under NSW legislation, the owner is responsible for making a declaration of property freedom.

A declaration form for non-notifiable diseases (PDF, 10.4 KB) can be downloaded, please note this is not a government form. It provides suitable wording if you need to make a declaration, and you are free to write your own declaration if you prefer.

Note: This declaration is a legal document and must be completed accurately. If you have not heard of the disease, or are unsure if it has occurred on your property, contact your private veterinary practitioner. An additional statement from your vet may be attached to your own declaration.

Certifying the health of individual animals

State authorities usually do not make property visits for certification purposes, or examine individual animals for export. Certification is based on animal health and property records held in their offices. (The exception is site inspections for bee exports, and occasionally for poultry.) Officers will normally inspect the animals when they are assembled for export, and provide any certification required on the health status of the animals themselves.

NSW contacts for obtaining health certification for notifiable diseases

Livestock

In NSW, Local Land Services hold the records relating to stock on individual properties, and therefore provide most of the property-of-origin health declarations for cattle, sheep, goats, alpaca etc. See the Livestock Health and Pest Districts map at Local Land Services to find out which district the livestock are located in.

Horses

NSW Horse Health Coordinator
Dr Jane Bennett
Email: animal.export@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 0458 527 712

Poultry and cage birds

NSW Avian Health Coordinator
Brendan Sharpe
E-mail: brendan.sharpe@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 0439 236 324

Bees

NSW Biosecurity Helpline
Email: quarantine@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 1800 680 244

Other animals

State authorities are seldom involved in the export of companion or zoo animals, or other species. For further information visit Agriculture website's, Exporting from Australia.