Invitation to comment
The export of Australian native wildlife specimens (wildlife products) is regulated under Australia’s national environment legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act). An export permit issued under the EPBC Act is required to export wildlife products, except where exemptions from these requirements are provided.
The Department of the Environment and Energy is interested in options to streamline trade in wildlife where the environmental risks are considered to be low. One possible option would be to reduce administration by exempting certain emu products from export permit requirements.
The exemption could cover all emu products harvested under Captive Breeding Programs approved under the EPBC Act (see Table 1). This change would mean that exporters would no longer need to obtain export permits for these products.
This change is being considered as the emu industry poses a very low risk to wild emu populations. The industry is relatively small, is well established and only captive bred (non-wild) animals are harvested.
Wild harvest of emu is strictly prohibited in all states and territories. Meat and other products from wild harvested emus is not included in this proposal.
Emu captive breeding is a small but widespread industry. Captive breeding programs are in six states – South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. The Department has previously assessed these programs as meeting the requirements for captive breeding programs under the EPBC Act. Relevant state and territory agencies manage these programs via regulatory measures such as licensing regimes to ensure only captive bred animals are farmed. The assessment of a captive breeding program also considers if emu farming operations are compliant with relevant national and state based codes for the welfare of captive bred emus.
There is already an exemption from permitting requirements for products manufactured from emu carried as personal baggage. The exemption covers the personal baggage of a person departing from Australia that is not intended to be used for any commercial purpose, including sale, lease, hire or exchange. The proposal would broaden this exemption to include products manufactured from emu and emu meat from captive breeding programs for non-commercial and commercial purposes.
The Department may consider similar streamlining measures for other industries with a very low risk to wild populations. Further consultation will be carried out for any additional proposals.
The Department is seeking your views regarding these possible changes to current emu export requirements. Views are sought from all parties with an interest in the international trade in emu products including permit holders, industry, government and non-government organisations, and interested members of the community.
In making your submission some points to consider are:
- What are the potential benefits and/or impacts of removing the requirement to obtain export permits for emu products?
- Any other comments on the proposal to remove the requirement to obtain export permits for emu products?
Table 1: Proposed specimen not requiring permits for export
| Taxon / Item | Common Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dromaius novaehollandiae | Emu | Manufactured products and emu meat taken under a Captive Breeding Program approved under the EPBC Act. |
How to provide comments
Submissions in Word or .pdf format, will be accepted until Thursday 20 July 2017 and should be sent to the Department at wta@environment.gov.au
Note: Information provided in submissions may be made publicly available. If you believe any information provided in your submission is confidential, including commercially sensitive information, ensure that you clearly identify such information and the reason for its confidentiality at the time of submission. The Department will assess any request made under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 for access to a submission marked confidential, in accordance with that Act.
The Department’s full privacy policy is available at http://www.environment.gov.au/privacy-policy.
While electronic submissions are preferred, hard copies can be mailed to:
Director
Wildlife Trade Assessments Section
Wildlife Heritage and Marine Division
Department of the Environment and Energy
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Enquiries can be made to wta@environment.gov.au, or by phone on (02) 6274 1900 (option ‘2’).