Milk and milk products that are prescribed under Australia's export rule
- are milk or milk products derived from a bovine animal; and
- are intended to be exported as food.
Milk and milk products that are not prescribed under Australia's export rules
Milk and milk products which do not meet the criteria under the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) Rules 2021 are classified by Australia as non-prescribed goods. It is the responsibility of the exporter to confirm with Egypt if there are any specific requirements for the import of these products. Typically, non-prescribed goods include, ice-cream, non-bovine milk products, colostrum and products with a minor component of dairy.
Further information on
exporting non-prescribed goods from Australia is available on the Department's website.
In some cases, an importing country requires specific health certification and government oversight for what would typically be non-prescribed milk and milk products. When required, these products become prescribed under export legislation and must meet all export and importing country requirements. This includes the products being manufactured and stored at an export registered establishment and must have a valid export permit and health certificate for each consignment. Guidance on export registration can be found at
Dairy export registered establishments.
5.1.1 Health certificates for milk and milk products
For milk and milk products produced for human consumption (including milk and milk products classified as a prescribed good by an importing Country), use health certificate template ZD035.
ZD035 dairy health certificate
The ZD035 certificate contains the following attestations:
I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge the conditions or restrictions applicable under the particular inspection system prescribed under the Export Control Act have been complied with in respect of the prescribed good described above, being goods that are:
- In sound condition
- Fit for human consumption
- Of Australian origin.
Endorsement 367 – Dairy – Egypt disease and contaminants statement
Milk used in these products has been pasteurised or thermally treated at pasteurisation temperatures at least in accordance with international methods, and is free of hormones, drugs, insecticides, heavy metals and poison.
Animals from which these products were taken were free from clinical diseases caused by the agents listed in the Office International des Epizooties List A for the species concerned, and live in an area free of these diseases. I further certify that Foot and Mouth Disease, Rinderpest and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy do not exist in Australia.
Optional endorsement 368 – Dairy – Egypt disease, radioactivity and contaminants
Milk used in these products has been pasteurised or thermally treated at pasteurisation temperatures at least in accordance with international methods, and is free of hormones, drugs, insecticides, heavy metals and poison.
Animals from which these products were taken were free from clinical diseases caused by the agents listed in the Office International des Epizooties List A for the species concerned, and live in an area free of these diseases. I further certify that Foot and Mouth Disease, Rinderpest and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy do not exist in Australia.
- Routine fallout monitoring has been undertaken in all Australian states since the mid-1950's. Following the cessation of French atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific in 1974, fallout deposits decreased rapidly until present, where levels are at or below the minimum detectable,
- Monitoring since Chernobyl has shown no increase in fallout deposits and indications are that all fallout has now occurred and there will be no change, and
- Extensive testing since the Chernobyl accident of all agricultural products (including the dairy products listed above) exported from Australia confirms that the radioactivity levels are negligible and therefore significantly less than 50 becquerels per kilogram measured as Caesium 134 and Caesium 137.
Halal certification
Egypt has established
IS EG Halal as the sole halal certification body for all milk and milk products imported into Egypt (Ministerial Decree No. 35/2020). Egypt has notified the Department, IS EG Halal will commence charging for certification of milk and milk exports to Egypt from the 31 December 2024. Exporters should liaise with their importer to confirm halal certification requirements with IS EG Halal – including the payment of fees. Refer to
MAA 2022-17, MAA 2022-04 and MAA 2023-39 for more information.
Exporter declaration
Whenever export documentation is obtained, the exporter must provide a declaration stating that all the information provided in the permit is true and complete. They must also state that they are in possession of a declaration of compliance that:
- applies to the milk and milk products
- complies with the requirements of the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) Rules 2021.
Transit certification requirements
Milk and milk products transiting the European Union or the United States may require transit documentation. These certificates are available as additional certificates through the EXDOC system. If the product is transiting the United States, standard certification is required and the exporter should
contact the Department for advice on how this certification may be issued. If the product is transiting a European Union member state, see the particular European Union member state regarding the certificate template to select.