3.4.5 The responsibilities and actions of the Livestock Export Standards and
Compliance Organisation
3.4.5.1 Responsibilities
As part of the new approach to risk management, the Livestock Export Standards and Compliance Organisation will be required:
• To provide leadership for risk management throughout the live export industry; and • To manage the industry’s risk RD program.
3.4.5.2 Leadership of industry risk management
It is recommended that LESCO play a pivotal role by leading all aspects of risk management throughout the live export industry, as follows:
• Providing vision, sponsorship and direction throughout industry in the area of risk management, thereby ensuring that:
− the principles and methods of risk management are effectively understood by all relevant industry people,
− risk management methods are consistently applied; and − adverse health and welfare outcomes are effectively managed by individual exporters.
• Promoting a positive attitude towards risk and risk management, and a genuine commitment to continuous improvement, at all levels of industry.
• Developing relevant resources, including training opportunities and risk management guidelinestemplates, as necessary.
RECOMMENDATION 13: It is recommended that the LESCO provide risk management leadership to industry, with the following responsibilities:
• Providing vision, sponsorship and direction of all risk management activities; • Promoting a positive attitude to risk and risk management and a commitment to
continuous improvement; and • Developing relevant resources, including training opportunities, as necessary.
Further, it is recommended that the Livestock Export Standards and Compliance Organisation fulfil two key roles with respect to risk management, as follows:
• Leadership of all aspects of risk management throughout the live export industry; and
• Development and management of the industry risk management development program.
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3.4.5.3 Development and management of the industry risk management
development program
In addition to leadership responsibilities, the LESCO would also be responsible for the development and management of the industry ‘risk management development program’. This program is expected
to be broad in scope, but with the specific purpose of facilitating continuous improvement in the effectiveness of risk management throughout industry. It is recommended that the program be broken
into two sub-programs:
• Current operations: An ongoing critical evaluation of current approaches to risk management throughout industry; and
• Future directions: An assessment of short- and longer-term changes that will impact on industry, including the development of effective risk management strategies in response to these changes.
RECOMMENDATION 14: It is recommended that the LESCO also develop and manage an industry ‘risk management development program’, with the specific
purpose of facilitating continuous improvement in the effectiveness of risk management throughout industry. It is recommended that the program include two
sub-programs, as follows:
• Current operations, encompassing an ongoing critical evaluation of current approaches to risk management throughout industry; and
• Future directions, encompassing an assessment of short- and longer-term changes that will impact on industry, including the development of effective risk
management strategies in response to these changes.
A. Current operations The objectives of this sub-program are to ensure that:
• Risk management is being developed and applied consistently throughout industry, and is in line with the expectations of government and the wider community;
• Risk management both in general terms and with respect to specific risk mitigation strategies is consistent with ongoing advances in knowledge. The LESCO would be expected to periodically
review the content of the ‘standards of baseline practice’, the destinations requiring management of heat stress risk and the ‘high-risk’ criteria relating to risk management planning.
• Consignment risk management plans are appropriate and pragmatic
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with risk mitigation strategies benchmarked against industry best-practice
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, thereby encouraging continuous improvement.
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During a review of individual consignment plans, each of the
following issues should be considered: • Is the risk management plan effective in minimising the risk that is, has the plan worked?
• Do the performance measures or indicators reflect the key outcomes? • Are the assumptions, including those made in relation to the environment, technology and resources,
still valid? • Is the risk management plan comparatively efficientcost effective?
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• Adequate monitoring is provided throughout the live export supply chain to assess risk management issues.
Expected outcomes from this sub-program would include: • Consistent application of risk management throughout industry, and improved and increasingly
proactive industry alignment with government and community expectations • Robust and appropriate use of risk management at all levels of industry
• Improved understanding and communication of adverse animal health and welfare outcomes, and of appropriate risk management strategies through benchmarking consistent with ongoing
advances in knowledge • Focused and informed feedback throughout all levels of industry
• A developing industry culture of continuous improvement, in terms of risk management
SUMMARY: The ‘Current operations’ sub-program of the industry risk management development program will be developed and managed by the LESCO. Expected
outcomes from the sub-program will include consistent, robust and appropriate use of this methodology, improved alignment to government and community
expectations, improved understanding and communication of adverse animal health and welfare outcomes and of appropriate risk management strategies, focused and
informed feedback, and a developing industry culture of continuous improvement.
B. Future directions This sub-program has two main aims:
• To critically evaluate existing risks, identifying short-term changes and potential responses in the industry risk profile, with respect to animal health and welfare; and
• To forecast longer-term changes in the industry risk profile, with respect to animal health and welfare, and to respond to these forecasts as appropriate.
Expected outcomes from this aspect of the program would include:
• Does the risk management plan comply with legal requirements, government and community expectations?
• How can improvements be made?
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The LESCO will not be responsible for the development of consignment risk management plans – this will remain the responsibility of individual exporters. However, it will be the responsibility of the
LESCO will be to develop examples of what are considered acceptable risk management plans for specific circumstances. These model plans will be used during the risk management audit process to
benchmark individual exporter’s consignment risk management plans.
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Results from benchmarking, including the identification of superior
risk management strategies, will be communicated via risk alerts, newsletters and bulletins to all relevant industry bodies and individuals.
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• Understanding and communication of short- and longer-term changes in the industry risk profile, with respect to animal health and welfare
• Appropriate response to these changes, including – as appropriate, informed support for relevant future RD
SUMMARY: The ‘Future directions’ sub-program of the industry risk management development program will be developed and managed by the LESCO. Expected
outcomes from this sub-program will include an understanding and communication of short- and longer-term changes in the industry risk profile, with respect to animal
health and welfare, and appropriate responses to these changes, including – as appropriate – informed support for relevant future RD.
For each of these sub-programs, the LESCO is likely to require data from a number of sources, including:
• The consignment risk management plans for each consignment; • Related documentation, including measured outcomes, existing processes such as reports from
accredited veterinarians and shipboard stockmen, audit reports discussed in detail later and critical incident reports; and
• Additional resources, as required, including expert opinion and commissioned RD.
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4 MANAGING INCIDENTS
4.1 Introduction
By definition, an incident is deemed to have occurred if defined animal health and welfare outcomes exceed pre-determined thresholds. Within the live export trade, incidents are generally associated
with high mortality events during the on-ship phase of export, such as: • A voyage mortality rate for sheep and goats of greater than 2 of the consignment
• A voyage mortality rate for cattle and buffalo of greater than 1 of the consignment LiveCorp, 2001.
As indicated previously, it is recommended that mortality remain the primary outcome-of-interest during live export. However, because the export process includes more than just the seaward
journey, it is recommended that similar mortality thresholds are developed for other relevant intervals during live export, including:
• Farm-of-origin to feedlot; • Feedlot; and
• Feedlot to export vessel.
SUMMARY: An incident is deemed to have occurred when the mortality rate exceeds a pre-determined threshold. Mortality thresholds have been determined for the
shipboard period of export. Similar thresholds need to be determined for the other stages of the live export process, including:
• Farm-or-origin to feedlot; • Feedlot; and
• Feedlot to export vessel.
It is recognised that two different types of incidents can occur: • Major incidents: These are distinguished by a very high mortality rate and close public scrutiny.
Furthermore, there is general agreement, given the need for ‘damage control’ and intervention by the federal Minister, for any response to be undertaken on the basis of cooperation between
government and industry. Cooperative arrangements for the investigation of major incidents are currently being developed by industry and government.
• Minor incidents: These involve mortality rates that exceed pre-agreed thresholds, but where government involvement is not considered necessary. Minor incidents do not attract sustained
public interest. Regardless of magnitude, AQIS will retain the right to independently investigate any incident major or minor if it deems this to be in the public interest.
The following recommendations relate specifically to minor incidents. Although minor incidents may not attract sustained public interest, they do highlight failure in the planning or implementation of risk
management strategies on specific consignments. To facilitate continuous improvement throughout the industry, it is critical that all minor incidents are investigated.
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