Export Slaughter Intervals and Chemical Withholding Periods
The APVMA has compiled the following Export Slaughter Interval (ESI) and withholding periods (WHP) for products used in sheep and cattle:
- Cattle ESI and WHPs - last updated 12 July 2010 (PDF, 71kb) | (RTF, 139kb)
- Sheep ESI and WHPs - last updated 12 July 2010 (PDF, 92kb) | (RTF, 287kb)
Many of these ESI's were established previously by a third party and the accuracy and validity of the values are under review. As ESI's are subject to change due to alterations in overseas requirements, and ongoing review and consultation with industry, this information is provided to ensure the latest information is available to producers and users.
About ESI's and WHPs
Export Slaughter Intervals
An ESI is the time that should elapse between administration of a veterinary chemical to animals and their slaughter for export. ESI's manage differences between Maximum Residue Limits allowed for chemicals in Australia and its trading partners. ESI advice is particularly important for quality assurance schemes, and especially for producers filling out the National Vendor Declaration (NVD) forms as part of the whole-of-chain management of exported product. ESI's have been agreed to by the sheepmeat industry and the registrant of the veterinary chemical.
Withholding Periods
The WHP is the minimum period which must elapse between last administration or application of a veterinary chemical product, including treated feed, and the slaughter, collection, harvesting or use of the animal commodity for human consumption. WHPs are mandatory for domestic slaughter and on the label of every registered product.
Plague locust control ESI's and WHPs
Chemicals used for controlling Australian plague locusts (Chortoicetes terminifera) have the potential to cause unacceptable residues in grazing livestock.
Export Slaughter Interval and Withholding Period advice for Plague Locusts, Wingless Grasshoppers and Livestock Residues (SafeMeat website) is available for Australian beef and sheep meat producers. This advice was developed by the national industry and government partnership, SafeMeat.
Permits
Permits (PER10927 and PER10928) are available to allow the use of certain synthetic pyrethroid chemicals to control the Australian plague locust. These permits cover the use of the active ingredients: Lambda-Cyhalothrin, Gamma-Cyhalothrin, Betacyfluthrin, Alpha-Cypermethrin and Cypermethrin.
You may access the permits from the APVMA permits database.