Learn more about managing ESI and WHP
Thanks for your question.
It’s great to see you taking the initiative to prepare yourself for future success with your consignments and responsibilities as an LPA-accredited producer.
To begin, I thought it might help to explain exactly what we mean when we refer to WHP and ESI.
Withholding periods (WHP)
Withholding periods can be applied in two circumstances:
- where an animal has been treated with veterinary medicines or pesticides
- where an animal has been fed any introduced stock feed that may have chemical residues.
The WHP is the minimum amount of time required to elapse between exposure to the contaminant when it may be legally slaughtered for human consumption.
Withholding periods are set to ensure that chemical residues in the carcase (if any) are below the maximum residue limit allowed for that chemical in food in Australia.
Export slaughter intervals (ESI)
Like WHP, ESI is the set period that must lapse between chemical application to livestock and their slaughter for export. The difference is that WHP applies to the domestic market, while ESI applies to meat destined for the export market.
Compliance with the ESI means that the slaughtered livestock will meet the residue limits which apply in all export markets.
For the latest version, visit www.apvma.gov.au/esi.
Complying with your responsibilities
To maintain your animals’ market access, you need to be able to provide assurance that they haven’t been exposed to contaminants through either feed or chemical treatments.
The information you provide on your NVDs must be accurate and verifiable to ensure you maintain the whole-of-chain management required for both domestic and export markets.
Repercussions for non-compliance may include failure to be paid for the livestock, and possible legal liability for the resulting cost faced by processors and the rest of the supply chain.
1. Stock feed
As LPA-accredited livestock producers you need to provide assurance that your animals have not been exposed to foods containing chemical contamination or fed animal products which may compromise food safety and harm Australia’s reputation for safe meat.
To properly complete your NVDs and comply with the LPA requirements of safe animal feed, you should be asking your suppliers to provide a Commodity Vendor Declarations (CVD) for any stock feeds you purchase.
The CVD will list any relevant WHP applying to the stock feed and if that WHP has passed.
If you don’t have a CVD for your stock feed, a WHP will apply to your animals, and they cannot be processed for the domestic market within 60 days of eating that feed.
In the case of export market access, an ESI of 90 days will apply.
2. Veterinary treatments
Our customers expect that livestock are treated responsibly and the meat we produce is safe.
The LPA requires accredited producers to take steps that minimise the risk from chemical residues following any veterinary treatment or pesticide your animal may have been exposed to, such as antibiotic injections or being dipped.
Withholding periods are set to ensure that chemical residues in red meat (if any) are below the maximum residue limit allowed in food in Australia. The WHP for meat is the minimum time after an animal is treated with a veterinary medicine or pesticide before it may be legally slaughtered for human consumption.
In general, slaughter and feeder animals should not be treated with a veterinary drug if the withholding period for that chemical exceeds the expected date of departure from a property.
Details of withholding periods for most veterinary treatments can be found on the product label, and these can be viewed on the PubCRIS database.
As noted above, the ESI ensures the slaughtered livestock meet the residue limits and withholding periods required by all export markets.
ESIs are revised throughout the year, which means they change regularly, so you should always check that you have the latest information.