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Fish and Fish Products
The Fish Exports Program provides operational, policy and technical advice to the export seafood industry to assist in maintaining international market access.
A primary objective of the AQIS Fish Exports Program is to provide operational, policy and technical advice to the export seafood industry to assist in maintaining international market access. The provision of trained inspection staff supports this objective. The Fish Exports Program manages and facilitates exports according to legislation, most important of which are the Export Control Act 1982, the Export Control (Prescribed Goods - General) Order 2005 and the Export Control (Fish and Fish Products) Orders 2005.
In order to export, land based establishments and vessels which undertake processing, as defined in the Export Control (Fish and Fish Products) Orders 2005 are required to be registered with AQIS as per the Export Control (Prescribed Goods - General) Order 2005. It is a condition of registration that the establishmenthas an AQIS approved quality assurance system in place, called an Approved Arrangement (AA), which meets the requirements of the Export Control (Fish and Fish Products) Orders 2005.
The AA replaces the Food Processing Accreditation (FPA) and Approved Quality Assurance (AQA) systems of inspection provided for under old legislation.
The AA is a more fully documented system which encompasses management commitment, good manufacturing practices, process control and through chain traceability.
The AA will:
- Enhance your food safety system to meet importing country requirements and better align with international standards
- Be flexible and easy to upgrade/change to meet changing overseas requirements
- Assist in meeting new domestic requirements
- Provide customised training material for new and existing staff
The AA must be approved and in place by 1 July 2007 for establishments to remain in operation and for their fish and fish products to be eligible for export. The AA ensures the integrity of products and documentation which is essential for AQIS to be able to issue export permits and certification.
The Fish Exports Program operates under a co-regulatory system with industry in terms of service delivery. Third party arrangements for auditing of these arrangements are available to the seafood export industry, however this service has not been widely utilized to date. Currently the majority of the seafood export industry relies on AQIS staff to audit their operations. The Program recovers 60% of costs from the seafood industry through various fees and charges. The remaining 40% is a Government contribution.
If you require further information on the Fish Exports Program, please contact your local fish inspector.