Given this background, it is recommended that management of heat stress risk become mandatory on all consignments sent by ship to ports in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. As more data become
available, there may be a need for LESCO to extend this requirement to other consignments . It is important to note that animals are required to transit hot equatorial waters during most export
voyages and may also be unloaded during a hot northern summer.
During the management of heat stress risk, an exporter would be expected to undertake the steps of risk management and risk communication. Risk assessment is not relevant in this context in contrast
to risk management planning as discussed below because the adverse outcome that is, heat stress is already clearly defined. Heat stress develops as a result of a complex web of physical and
biological risk factors. Logically, the management of heat stress is complex, and requires detailed consideration of a range of factors. The HS software automates this process, enabling exporters to
minimise heat stress risk by altering a range of factors including ship selection andor engineering, stock type, stock source, stocking densities and destination. It is recommended that exporters
manage heat stress risk using this software, or an equivalent and justifiable methodology.
RECOMMENDATION 9: As part of the new approach to risk management, it is recommended that heat stress risk management become mandatory for all
consignments destined for ports in the Red Sea andor Persian Gulf. It is also recommended that this be undertaken by exporters using the HS software, or an
equivalent and justifiable methodology. As more data becomes available, there may be a need for LESCO to extend this requirement to other destinations where there is
also a risk of heat stress.
3.4.3.3 The consignment risk management plan
In general It is anticipated that most risks will be managed through adherence to baseline practice and heat
stress risk management. However, because there have been a number of recent examples of mortality problems for reasons other than heat stress despite full compliance with LEAP, it is certain
that these strategies will not be sufficient to adequately manage all risks in all situations. Logically, therefore, additional risk management efforts are required on consignments considered at ‘higher-
than-average’ risk so-called ‘high-risk consignments.
Given this background, it is recommended that a risk management plan known as a consignment risk management plan be prepared for all ‘high-risk’ consignments. Each plan would be linked to a
defined consignment, and would provide documented evidence that individual exporters have completed a well-defined series of steps relating to risk management. Each plan should aim to
reduce the risk to acceptable levels of adverse health and welfare outcomes during a particular consignment.
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RECOMMENDATION 10: It is recommended that consignment risk management planning become mandatory for all ‘high risk’ consignments as part of the new
approach to risk management during live export. Each plan would be linked to a defined consignment, and would provide documented evidence that individual
exporters have completed a well-defined series of steps relating to risk management. Each plan should aim to reduce the risk to acceptable levels of adverse health and
welfare outcomes during a particular consignment.
‘High risk’ consignments ‘High-risk’ consignments can be defined as all consignments that are at increased risk of one or more
adverse health and welfare outcome. Based on current knowledge, a number of consignments are at higher-than-average risk, including:
• Consignments of Bos taurus cattle loaded in southern ports that is, Australian ports situated below 26
o
south. The health and welfare problems with these consignments will largely be controlled through management of heat stress risk. Additional risk management planning would
only be required where additional – mainly biological risks – are considered important • Goats
• Sheep that have been held in a paddock-based feedlot without covered troughs prior to loading • Sheep that are full-mouth, fat score 4+ and shipped in the second half of the year
• Other consignments which could reasonably be considered at higher-than-average risk, including
those: − prepared by exporters with limited experience of live animal export, either generally or with
respect to specific animal-types or export-methods; − with links to previous, poorly-performing consignments; and
− where rejection-at-destination is considered a reasonable possibility.
It will be a key responsibility of the LESCO to regularly review these ‘high-risk’ criteria. Information relevant to such a review would include:
• Objective mortality summaries, which are produced on a yearly basis for LiveCorp and MLA for example Norris and Norman, 2001; Norris and Norman, 2002a; Norris and Norman, 2002b;
• Emerging RD information; and • General market intelligence.
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SUMMARY: A number of consignments can be considered at higher-than-average risk of adverse health and welfare outcomes, based on accumulated data. At
present, ‘high risk’ consignments could include those with southern Bos taurus cattle, goats, sheep held in paddock-based feedlots without weather-protected feed
troughs, as well as older and fatter sheep shipped in the second half of the year. Other consignments at ‘high risk’ include those that have been prepared by exporters
with limited experience, those with links to earlier poorly-performing consignments and those where rejection-at-destination is considered a real possibility. LESCO
should regularly review the ‘high-risk’ criteria, based on objective mortality summaries, emerging RD information and general market intelligence.
During the preparation of this review, an argument was put forward that overt risk management planning be undertaken on every consignment eg, ‘all consignments have risks so why not a tailored
plan for every consignment?’. We agree that every consignment should be supported by baseline risk management planning. However, only those consignments facing high a priori risk should be
accompanied by overt planning. Our reasoning for making this distinction are several:
• Risk management planning is certain to become less meaningful if conducted uniformly, regardless of perceived risk; and
• The suggested approach would devalue the proposed role of LESCO, which will play a central role in overall industry risk management including ongoing adjustment of the
‘high-risk’ criteria, in response to ongoing assessment and industry intelligence. Components of the risk management plan
In accordance with earlier discussions and relevant documentation Standards Australia, 1999; KPMG, undated, the risk management plans should include each of the following steps:
• Risk assessment, including risk identification identifying risks associated with a particular consignment, risk analysis estimating likelihood and consequence for each risk and risk
evaluation prioritising risks in order of importance; • Risk management or treatment, to identify and assess treatment options as well as preparing
risk treatment plans; and • Risk monitoring and communication, in keeping with best-practice.
SUMMARY: The consignment risk management plan should include: • Risk assessment, including risk identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation
• Risk management • Risk monitoring and communication
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Detailed information about the development of a consignment risk management plan is presented below.
3.4.4 The responsibilities and actions of individual exporters
