WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/AUS/228 
24 December 2008  
 (08-6307) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Notifying Member:  AUSTRALIA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Poultry meat 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ X ] All trading partners, or [   ] Specific regions or countries:    
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Primary Production and Processing Standard for 
Poultry Meat  Language:  English  Number of pages:  11 
6. Description of content:  Australia has recently completed an assessment of the 
requirements for poultry meat contained in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards 
Code .  As a result, Australia is proposing to include a Primary Production and Processing 
Standard for Poultry Meat into the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code .  The 
Standard will apply to poultry and poultry meat  available for sale for human consumption 
in Australia, but not apply to New Zealand.  In conjunction with other standards in the 
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code , the proposed Standard will provide through-
chain control of food safety hazards associa ted with poultry meat from primary production 
through processing. 
It is proposed that the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code  is varied by: 
• including Standard 4.1.1 – Primary Produc tion and Processing Standards Preliminary 
Provisions which contains definitions and application provisions relevant to other 
standards in Chapter 4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code ;  
• including Standard 4.2.2 – Primary Production and Processing Standard for Poultry 
Meat within which Division 1 contains interpretation and application provisions 
specific to this standard, Division 2 contains requirements for primary poultry production businesses and Division 3 contains requirements for poultry processing businesses; and 
• deleting clause 4 of Standard 1.6.2 to remove the permission to sell partly eviscerated 
poultry for human consumption. Standard 1. 6.2 applies to Australia, but not to New 
Zealand. G/SPS/N/AUS/228 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  Pathogenic Campylobacter  and Salmonella , if present on 
poultry meat, present a potential public health risk  to consumers. The main sources of these 
pathogens are found during primary producti on of poultry and processing of poultry and 
poultry meat.  The objective of the proposed regulatory measures outlined above is to 
protect consumer health and safety from food safety hazards, particularly infection by pathogenic Campylobacter  and Salmonella  associated with poultry meat consumption.  The 
rationale behind of the proposed regulatory me asures is that management of food safety 
hazards, particularly pathogenic Campylobacter  and Salmonella  associated with poultry 
meat consumption, is improved by measur es undertaken during primary production and 
processing of poultry and poultry meat inte nded for sale for human consumption. 
8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)  The Codex Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat (CRC-RCP 58-
2005) is an international code of prac tice relevant to the proposed Primary 
Production and Processing Standard for Poultry Meat. 
[   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)     
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM N°)     
[   ] None Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
 [ X ] Yes   [   ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  The proposed draft Standard a nd consequential amendments are 
consistent with the principles described in th e Codex Code of Hygien ic Practice for Meat 
(CRC-RCP 58-2005). 
9. Other relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code  (available in English) 
Scientific Assessment of the Public Health and Safety of Poultry Meat in Australia 
November 2005 (available in English) 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  Notification to Government anticipated 
June 2009 with adoption (gazettal) to fo llow, pending Government consideration. 
Propose date of publication ( dd/mm/yy) :  June 2009 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [   ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  Two years after gazettal pending Govern ment consideration (see 10. above). 
[ X ] Trade facilitating measure 
Members should note that chicken meat impor ts for human consumption into Australia 
need to meet the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code  and any applicable 
quarantine requirements for that product.  Au stralia has recently notified members of the 
release of the final generic import risk analysis report for chicken meat in 
G/SPS/N/AUS/198/Add.2, dated 11 November 2008.  G/SPS/N/AUS/228 
 Page 3 
 
 
  12. Final date for comments: [   ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  6 February 2009 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National Notification 
Authority, [ X ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
Food Standards Australia New Zealand 
PO Box 7186 Canberra BC ACT 2610 Australia Fax:  +(61 2) 6271 2278 
E-mail:  standards.management@foodstandards.gov.au 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National Notification Authority, [ X ] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
Documents are available from the Food St andards Australia New Zealand website:  
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/standardsdev elopment/proposals/proposalp282primaryp2
442.cfm  
 
Copies are also available from: 
The Australian SPS Notification Point GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia 
Fax:  +(61 2) 6272 3678 
Email:  sps.contact@daff.gov.au