Two incidents that changed quality management in the Australian livestock export industry

Quality assurance in Australia's livestock export industry arose from a need to address animal welfare concerns. It was initially instigated by industry in the form of an accreditation scheme which contained standards, auditing requirements and training requirements. Two major incidents in long haul shipping of livestock demonstrated that risk management in the industry cannot be achieved through compliance with standards alone. A thorough investigation of the first incident recommended the introduction of formal risk management to complement a standards regime. This approach is applicable to the management of major risks, such as heat stress and disease. It is also especially suited to commercial risks, such as the rejection of cargo and where voyage or market specific treatments are needed and depend upon the expertise of the exporter. However, before these recommendations on risk management could be fully implemented, a significant public incident occurred which altered the direction of quality assurance in industry. The Australian response was to transfer authority to government regulators with a tightening of standards. This focuses on the need to ensure ownership of quality assurance programmes by the exporter. Formal risk management has been a casualty of the second incident and, unfortunately, has not been introduced.