The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the Department) is the Australian government authority responsible for export registration, inspection and certification of Australian food and agricultural exports.  ​​

All premises involved in the production of bovine milk and milk products for export must be registered with the Department.  Premises involved in the production of non-bovine products may also need to be registered, however this is only when required by an importing country, please see product information here. For more information or assistance with the export registration process contact the Department's Dairy, Eggs and Fish Program at dairyeggsfish@aff.gov.au. The Department encourages exporters to work with their importer to clarify any specific import conditions for exported products.

Exceptions to establishment registration and export certification 

Export registration and export certification may not be required if you are manufacturing and exporting the following products, which are deemed as goods that are not prescribed under the Export Control (Milk and Milk products) Rules 2021: 

1. (a) ice cream; 
2. (b) cheesecakes, Bavarian desserts and similar desserts; 
3. (c) colostrum; 
4. (d) milk or milk products encased in pastry or a fruit or vegetable product; 
5. (e) milk products where milk or milk products are not the major component; 
6. (f) milk or milk products that are derived from the lacteal secretion obtained from an animal other than a bovine animal; 
7. (g) milk or milk products that are animal food or pharmaceutical material; 
8. (h) any other milk or milk products that are not covered by subsection (1) of this section; 
9. (i) liquid milk and milk products exported in a consignment of not more than 10 litres; 
10. (j) milk or milk products not covered by paragraphs (a) to (i) exported in a consignment of not more than 10 kilograms; 
11. (k) milk or milk products in the form of a tablet or capsule.

Note

If the importing country requires government to government certification and registration for the entry of the above goods, then this can only be provided by the department when the goods have been approved to be prepared in an export registered establishment.

Ships stores

Export certification is not issued for ships stores as the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) Rules 2021 do not apply. Ships stores are milk and milk products on ships or aircraft for the use of passengers and crew or for the service of the ships or aircraft on a voyage from Australia.

​Establishments producing edible products for export to GB are required to be listed with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and p​ublished on the DEFRA list of approved export establishment prior to export of these produc​ts. Listing of new establishments that produce edible products for export to GB is not immediate, because establishments require approval. Production of edible products for export to the UK may start from the validity date of the updated list on the UK website. Certification for edible products for export to the UK may only start from the date of publication of the updated list on the UK website​. Dates of publication are usually 4 weeks after the validity dates.​

Listing process

The Department is responsible for submitting requests for the listing of establishments. GB manufacturing establishment listing applications must include the following information:

1. The product intended to be prepared for export to GB.
2. Details of controls under the approved arrangement which ensure that GB importing country requirements are met.

As the requirements for listing with the GB are the same as the requirements for being listed with the EU, manufacturing establishments will need to complete the EU checklist, and submit it, along with applicable amended Approved Arrangement procedures, to the department for review and assessment. Please contact dairyeggsfish@aff.gov.au.

The department will request DEFRA approval for an establishment after confirming it meets all UK requirements, and its Approved Arrangement properly documents all relevant UK controls. The establishment can only start processing products for export to the UK once the UK grants approval.

Information for exporters who are non-manufacturers

Non-manufacturing exporters must ensure export registered dairy establishment/s that they source product from appear on the DEFRA website prior to exporting. Only products produced after the date of validity of the manufacturing establishments listing are eligible for export to GB.

The link that exporters need to follow to check if the relevant dairy establishment/s details have been added is:

• United Kingdom - Establishments approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain - data.gov.uk
  

There are no known products that are prohibited for export to this market.

Australian products that do not meet United Kingdom official requirements

The following edible products do not meet GB official requirements:

• Sheep and goat milk and milk products​
  
  

​Sourcing of milk and milk products

The following milk and milk products must be only processed in establishments that are on the DEFRA list of approved dairy establishments.

• milk, including milk powder, condensed milk
  
• cream, including UHT and cream products
• buttermilk, curdled milk and cream
• yoghurt
• butter, dairy spreads, and other fats and oils derived from milk
• cheese (including fresh cheese, canned cheese, hard cheese, processed cheese, semi-hard cheese, and cheese powder)
• ice cream and ice-cream mix
• infant powder
• casein, caseinates and other casein derivatives
• lactose and lactose syrup
• whey and whey powder albumins (including concentrates of two or more whey proteins, containing by weight more than 80 % whey proteins, calculated on the dry matter)
• milk proteins (including concentrated milk proteins with a protein content of more than 85 % by weight, calculated on the dry matter)
• processed dairy ingredients that are used in the following composite products:
• composite products that contain any meat
• composite products with a fish or egg content of 50% or more
• shelf-stable composite products with a dairy content of 50% or more and
• composite products that require refrigeration or freezing (i.e. are not shelf-stable) that contain any dairy products.​
  

Raw milk

The UK’s raw milk processing requirements in retained Regulation 853/2004 can be met by complying with the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) Rules 2021.

Pasteurisation and heat treatment

The raw milk must be subjected to pasteurisation that is equivalent to that specified for milk for human consumption in the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) Rules 2021 or recognised in Australia as equivalent to 72°C for 15 seconds (i.e. batch pasteurisation at 60°C for 30 minutes).

HACCP

The UK’s HACCP compliance requirements in Regulation 852/2004 can be met by complying with the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) Rules 2021.

Final product testing for microbiological pathogens

Milk and milk products must be tested for the following microbiological pathogens and found to comply with the UK’s food safety criteria. Testing must involve taking of random samples of each batch at the end of the manufacturing process. Only batches of product that are found to meet the UK food safety criteria are eligible for export to the UK.

1. Where n = number of samples, and M = maximum number of bacteria allowed in a sample.
2. Testing for L. monocytogenes is not required for ready-to-eat products that are either have been processed to eliminate L. monocytogenes, or are unable to support the growth of L. monocytogenes (i.e.  products with pH 4.4 or a_w = 0.92, or pH 5.0 and a_w = 0.94).
3. If manufacturers are able to demonstrate that products will not exceed 100 cfu/g throughout their shelf-life, they do not need to demonstrate absence in a 25g sample.
4. This testing is not required for products where the a _w = 0.95.
5. Testing is not required for products where the manufacturing process or composition of product will eliminate the risk of Salmonella in the product.
6. Testing is not required for products where the manufacturing process or composition of the product results in the product having coagulase positive staphylococci < 100,000 cfu/g, and this eliminates the risk of staphylococcal enterotoxins in the product. Manufacturers that respond to detections of coagulase positive staphylococci in accordance with National Guidelines - Pathogen Management, do not need to undertake this testing.​​
   

These provisions are laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs referred to in the DEFRA model dairy certificates. Note amendment by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1441/2007 of 5 December 2007 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. These laws are retained in the UK.

There is no agreed certification for import of technical or pharmaceutical grade dairy products into the United Kingdom.

There is no certification available for import of dairy based animal feed into the United Kingdom.

There is no agreed certification for import of manufacturing grade dairy products into the United Kingdom.​

To maintain access to the UK for milk products, Australia is required to implement a national residue monitoring plan. This national residue monitoring plan, the Australian Milk Residue Analysis (AMRA) Survey must be annually approved by the UK and shown to comply with Council Directive 96/23/EC. Australia’s system must also be assessed by the UK as complying with the maximum residue levels for pesticides laid down in Regulation 396/2005, and maximum levels for contaminants laid down in Regulation 1881/2006.

All edible milk and milk products exported to the UK must have been tested for residues of antibiotic drugs in accordance with Regulation 853/2004, and be found to comply with the maximum residue limits for residues of antibacterial veterinary medicinal products laid down in Regulation 35/2010. This means that milk and milk products for export to the UK must not originate from any raw milk with a positive detection from farm vat and tanker testing for antibiotic residues. Note: The UK does not allow for testing to involve heating of samples as this may remove the presence of antibiotic residues.

Microbial testing of milk

All edible milk and milk products exported to the UK must meet the plate and somatic cell count criteria laid down in Regulation 853/2004. This means that raw milk must meet the following criteria:

Each farm that supplies milk for export to the UK must meet these standards.

• Processing establishments that receive raw milk directly from farms the establishment must test somatic cell counts and total plate counts, maintain records of the test results and ensure farms take corrective action when requirements are not met.
• Somatic cell counts must be determined by rolling geometric average over a period of 3 months with at least one sample per month per farm.
• Total plate count must be determined by rolling geometric average over a period of 2 months with at least 2 samples per month per farm.
• Processing establishments that receive milk from suppliers other than farms must ensure that the supplier has systems in place to ensure that the raw milk meets UK requirements for total plate counts and somatic cell counts.

In addition, there are specific microbiological tests for finished products.

For information on how to meet these requirements, refer to TPC & BMCC - Understanding & complying with EU requirements which remains applicable to milk and milk products exported to the UK under retained EU law.

Sourcing of raw milk and dairy ingredients

Establishments that export milk and milk products to the UK must be able to state, through a declaration of compliance, that the product that is exported is only made from dairy ingredients that meet UK requirements. So that they can make a declaration of compliance, establishments must ensure that they have systems in place that demonstrate that all dairy ingredients (even if imported or used as part of contract manufacturing arrangement) used to produce milk and milk products for export to the UK meet UK requirements.

Establishments that source milk directly from farms must have systems in place to ensure that the milk is collected in accordance with the UK's specific requirements for monitoring and controlling the temperatures and quality of raw milk. These systems must also ensure that raw milk collected for processing into products intended for export to the UK has been sampled at the tanker level for and tested negative for the presence of antibiotic residues.

Establishments that source dairy ingredients or liquid milk from other establishments, or from overseas, need to obtain documentary evidence from their suppliers that confirms that the milk used in the production of dairy products complies with all relevant UK requirements. These systems must include the use of documents that specifically state whether the ingredients were produced in accordance with UK requirements.

For information on how to comply with the requirement for declarations of compliance, use of documentary evidence, raw milk temperatures and raw milk quality, refer to the Exporting dairy products to the European Union which remains applicable to exports of milk and milk products to the UK under retained EU law.

Milk cooling

This means that milk must be produced, collected, cooled, stored and transported in accordance with the milk cooling conditions laid down in Regulation 853/2004.

This means the following:

• if milk is collected from farms on a daily basis, the raw milk must be cooled to no more than 8°C within 2 hours of milking; or
• if milk is not collected from farms on a daily basis, The raw milk must be cooled to no more than 6°C within 2 hours of milking;

During transport, the cold chain must be maintained such that on arrival at the processing establishment, the raw milk temperature is no more than 10°C.

For information on how to meet these requirements, refer to Raw milk temperatures: Understanding & complying with EU requirements which remain applicable to milk and milk products exported to the UK under retained UK law.

Water used during processing

Establishments must ensure that quality of water used in the processing of milk and milk products meet requirements that are equivalent to the UK's potable water requirements. This means that processing establishments must be aware of the parameters for, and frequency of, water testing being undertaken by municipal water suppliers to ensure compliance with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 6, 2011.

If results of water testing undertaken by municipal water suppliers identify risks that could affect food safety, UK listed processing establishments are required to undertake their own risk assessment and implement actions, which may include testing, to prevent contamination of dairy products as outlined in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines​, updated in 2022.

For information on how to meet these requirements, refer to Understanding water testing requirements for the EU which remain applicable to exports of milk and milk products to the UK under retained UK law.

Certificates for milk, milk products and composite foods containing dairy products

Milk and milk products

For export of the following milk and milk products from cows or buffaloes, use the ZDGB01 (NEXDOC certificate). Select the 'H’ product use indicator so that the commodity is certified for human consumption:

• milk, including milk powder, condensed milk
• cream, including UHT and cream products
• buttermilk, curdled milk and cream
• yoghurt
• butter, dairy spreads, and other fats and oils derived from milk
• cheese (including fresh cheese, canned cheese, hard cheese, processed cheese, semi-hard cheese, and cheese powder)
• ice cream and ice-cream mix
• infant formula
• casein, caseinates and other casein derivatives
• lactose and lactose syrup
• whey and whey powder albumins (including concentrates of two or more whey proteins, containing by weight more than 80 % whey proteins, calculated on the dry matter) and
• milk proteins (including concentrated milk proteins with a protein content of more than 85 % by weight, calculated on the dry matter).
  

In April 2024, the department issued amended certification for ZDGB01 to meet importing country requirements. The amended certificate no longer contains the ‘Notes for Completion.’ These notes may b​​e viewed on the UK government website​.

Stamping and signing of ZDGB01

Remote printing is not available for certificate template ZDGB01. The certificate must be printed at a regional office because it requires wet stamping and signing by a department veterinarian. These requirements are UK government law. ​

Milk and milk products from sheep or goats

Certificate templates are not available for the export of milk and milk products from sheep or goats into the UK.

Low-risk milk and milk products

From 30 April 2024, consignments classified as ‘low-risk’ by DEFRA will continue to require an export permit to leave Australia but will no longer require an export health certificate to enter Great Britian. These consignments will only require commercial documentation.

Milk, dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption are considered low risk if they are shelf stable at ambient temperature and sterilised by either:

• having undergone specific heat treatment in a hermetically sealed container that achieves an F0 value of three or more, or
  
• having undergone heat treatment prior to aseptic packaging that achieves commercial sterility.

Dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures, infant formula and follow on formula are not considered low risk- and will continue to require export health certificate, Australian Government template ZDGB01.

Full details can be viewed on the UK government website.

​Under the Export Control Act 2020, it is mandatory to obtain a valid export permit before exporting a consignment of milk and milk products. Exporters will need to raise a Request for Export (REX) and when at FINAL in NEXDOC, request validation by departmental staff, as per the current process.

​For low-risk milk and milk products no longer requiring a health certificate, the exporter should select ‘None’ for the Certificate Print indicator, which will prevent a certificate from generating. This must be done prior to requesting validation from the department.​

Where an exporter requires a health certificate, (i.e. the consignment also contains milk products not classified as low-risk by DEFRA), they should choose ‘Automatic’ or ‘Hold’ as per their current processes, in order to obtain a certificate. This must be done prior to requesting validation from the department.

Composite foods containing processed dairy products

The template currently available for composite foods that contain processed dairy products and meat, or contain 50% or more, in total, of other processed animal products is the NGBB (01/23).

Note: This certificate is only available in a manual format as it is difficult for EXDOC to automatically incorporate information from several export programs. The manual certificates will be issued from Department regional offices after an assessment of the composite food’s ingredients has been conducted to ensure they have been sourced from UK-listed establishments. Exporters are advised that this assessment may be a lengthy process and it is strongly recommended that exporters make allowances for the time this assessment will take when preparing composite foods for export. The Department will provide exporters with instructions on how to complete this certificate on request.

Provision of certificates for milk and milk products

Details of Establishments

Export and transit certificates for milk, milk products and composite foods containing processed dairy products must include approval number of the manufacturing establishment where the product was manufactured and the establishment from where it was dispatched. The establishment must be included on the lists on the UK list of approved food establishments.

Date of certificate

UK export certificates must be signed on, or before, the nominated date of departure of the vessel. If the certificate is not submitted in sufficient time to allow printing and signing on, or before the date of departure, the Department will not issue an export certificate or transit certificate for any UK destination.

Container and Seal Numbers for Sea Freight Consignments

Health certificates for milk and milk products exported in containers must include container and seal numbers.

Container and Seal Numbers for Air Freight Consignments

For consignments shipped by air, the word ‘Airfreight’ should be entered in the container number field.

Number of Containers on RFPs

If more than 10 containers are added to certificates, pages will print that do not include a signature of an official veterinarian. This means that there is a maximum of 10 shipping containers per REX.

Batch codes

Export certificates for milk, milk products and composite foods include a field for batch codes, (i.e. the identifying marks on the goods indicating the specific batch). These codes must be no more than 16 characters long.

Species

Export certificates for milk and milk products must include the name of species of animal from which the milk was collected (e.g. Bos taurus/Bos indicus/Bos taurus indicus cross for dairy products containing cows’ milk). This is automatically included on all certificates.

Temperature of product

Export certificates for milk, milk products include a field for the temperature of the product, and only one value (ambient, chilled, or frozen) can be used for each REX.

Commodity Codes

Export certificates for milk and milk products must include commodity codes. Only one code can be used per REX. Australia refers to these codes as AHECC codes, whereas the UK refers to codes as harmonised system (HS) codes. The only codes permitted on UK export, transit and storage certificates for milk and milk products for human consumption are 04.01, 04.02, 04.03, 04.04, 04.05, 04.06, 15.17, 17.02, 21.05, 21.06, 22.02, 28.35, 35.01, 35.02, and 35.04.

Imported ingredients

If the REX contains imported dairy product, exporters are required to advise the nature of the imported dairy ingredient including the percentage in the product and the country of origin.

Exporter EU Checklist

The EU exporter checklist (DEP401) is required to be completed and provided to the Department before export certification can be provided.

Test Results

Exporters must state that the product described in the REX complies with UK requirements for raw milk testing of somatic cells, antibiotics and end product testing and is eligible for entry into the United Kingdom.

• Refer to section on microbial and residue sampling, and maximum acceptable limits for testing of raw milk, and section on milk and milk products for testing of final products.​
  

Provision of inedible certificates for milk and milk products

Certificates for inedible milk and milk based products including colostrum are not available.

Exporters may contact the Department to request that a certificate template be developed.

There is no agreed certification for import of manufacturing grade dairy products into the United Kingdom.

​There is no agreed certification for import of technical or pharmaceutical grade dairy products into the United Kingdom.  

​There is no certification available for import of dairy based animal feed into the United Kingdom.​

Carry-on packs, personal consignments and trade samples

Carry-on packs, personal consignments and trade samples of milk and milk products must be fully compliant with UK requirements and bear a health certificate verifying this eligibility. This includes products that are part of traveller’s luggage, or are sent as consignments to private persons.

The requirement also applies to product under 10 kg in weight.

The ZX01 Certificate as to Dioxin Status of Australian Dairy Products can be issued as an additional export certificate.

Additional Certificate option for EU quota consignments only

The IMA1 Certificate – Cheese for Processing, should be used for cheese processing (Common Customers Tariff 04069001).

There are no generic permits required for products imported into the UK, but individual member states may have permit requirements for imported products.

Consignments of imported animal products receive a documentary, identity, and physical checks at an UK Border Control Post (BCP) according to the frequency specified in the table below before being cleared for free circulation.

Note:

• For more information see, Import of Milk, Dairy Products, Colostrum, and Colostrum Based Products for Human Consumption March 2023 (PDF 148 KB)​.
• For information on the frequency of checks refer to UK legislation​.

Labels on finished foodstuffs

The EU has published a regulation (EU Regulation 1169/2011) which combines two existing Directives on labelling - Directive 2000/13/EC (labelling, presentation, and advertising) and Directive 90/496/EEC (nutritional labelling). Retained Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 was incorporated into domestic law under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and sets out requirements on the provision of food information to consumers which includes the labelling of prepacked food and drink in the UK. Some of the key requirements in the EU legislation include:

• allergen information (e.g. listing eggs, milk and/or gluten in the list of ingredients);
• ensuring that labels are legible (e.g. having a minimum size of text);
• having labels in languages understood by consumers (i.e. allows EU Member State countries to nominate languages required on labels); and
• mandatory nutrition information on processed foods.
  

Exporters and manufacturers should work closely with their customers to ensure they understand the requirements so that labels on exported foods continue to comply with UK requirements.

Labels on inedible by-products

The United Kingdom adopts EU importing country requirements, including EU certification.

Inedible by-products

During transport and storage, inedible by-products that are imported into the EU must have a label attached to the packaging, container or vehicle that:

• clearly indicates the category of the inedible by-products or of the derived products;
• describes the nature of the product;
• bear the following words visibly and legibly displayed on the packaging, a container or vehicle, as applicable:
• general Category 3 material where there are no other labels required: not for human consumption
• research and diagnostic samples: for research and diagnostic purposes
• trade samples: trade sample not for human consumption

The United Kingdom has no known specific requirements for shelf life restrictions other than those provided in the Export Control (Milk and Milk Products) Rules 2021.

The United Kingdom has no known specific requirements for shipping marks (port marks).

Use-by date and shelf life restrictions

Labels on consumer-ready edible products must include the date of minimum durability or, in the case of foodstuffs which, from a microbiological point of view are highly perishable, the ‘use-by’ date and any special storage conditions or conditions of use.