Milk and milk products that are prescribed under Australia's export rules
- 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 the importing country if there are any specific requirements for the import of these products.
Examples of non-prescribed goods are:
- ice cream
- cheesecakes, Bavarian desserts and similar desserts
- colostrum
- milk or milk products encased in pastry or a fruit or vegetable product
- milk products where milk or milk products are not the major component
- milk or milk products obtained from a non-bovine animal
- milk or milk products that are animal food or pharmaceutical material
- liquid milk and milk products exported in a consignment of not more than 10 litres
- milk or milk products exported in a consignment of not more than 10 kilograms
- milk or milk products in the form of a tablet or capsule
- milk or milk products for export to New Zealand.
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 having 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 certification for milk and milk products
For the export of 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 ZD024.
The ZD024 certificate contains the following attestations:
The undersigned authorised veterinary official certifies that:
- THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
The country of origin is officially declared free of Rinderpest and foot and mouth disease by the International Office of Epizooties.
- MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS
The milk and milk products are of Australian origin and have been treated in establishments approved by the appropriate health authority as per resolution 3138 of 1999.
The milk and milk products, with the exception of cheese, have been submitted to a process of pasteurisation.
Cheese products have been prepared with pasteurised milk, or have been submitted to a maturing process for a minimum of 60 days.
The products have been packaged with materials which neither contaminate nor alter the contents, and have been sealed and labelled, clearly specifying the country and establishment of origin, identification of the product and its net weight.
- PUBLIC HEALTH CERTIFICATE
The products described in this document are fit for human consumption, able to be traded freely and comply with relevant Australian legislation.
Neither the milk, nor the milk products, has been exposed to radiation.
- TRANSPORTATION
The vehicles and other means of transport used, in addition to shipping freight conditions, have permitted the health and sanitary condition of the products to be maintained.
For issue of a ZD024 health certificate, transport temperature, unit of temperature and use-by dates are required to be completed. For unrefrigerated product the work ‘Ambient’ prints next to ‘temperature during storage and transport’ on the ZD024.
Exporter declarations and raising request for permit
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.
When raising a Request for Permit (RFP), exporters must provide:
- the batch code of the consignment
- use-by dates for each line item
- gross weight amounts for each line item
- gross weight units for each line item
- transfer documentation
- a declaration of compliance.
Transit certification requirements
Milk and milk products transiting the European Union (EU) or the United States (US) may require transit documentation. These certificates are available as additional certificates through the EXDOC system. If the product is transiting the US, 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 EU member state, see the particular EU member state regarding the certificate template to select.
