Generic industry work instructions for HGP Freedom

WORK INSTRUCTION
Comments
Step
1. Check National
Vendor Declarations
(NVDs)
Assessment of HGP status of cattle for live export
Associated documents:
SOP 1: HGP freedom
assurance system for live
cattle exports
This work instruction contains a series of steps which are to be followed by either an Australian Accredited Veterinarian (AAV) or a “competent person” when
assessing the HGP status of cattle for live export to Egypt and Turkey. A “competent person” is defined as an experienced stock person who has received
special training or instruction from an AAV in the examination of National Vendor Declarations (NVDs) and/or the examination of animals for the presence or
suspicion of having been treated with HGPs. The training/instruction will be accompanied by a competency assessment and if the AAV deems it necessary a
period of direct supervision of inspecting cattle for the presence of HGPs (eg. two hours).
Instructions
Responsible Person
 Start a new check list for each consignment of cattle and systematically work through the list of procedures to be
completed.
 Ensure that the mob of cattle from the vendor where the cattle were held for the previous 30 days is accompanied by a
National Vendor Declaration (NVD) or a European Union Vendor Declaration (Cattle) and Waybill (UEVD&W). – Check 1
 Check that declaration forms have been signed within the past 30 days.- Check 2
 Record the Serial Number of the NVD or EUVD&W – Check 3
 Ensure that the number, description (breed, sex, colour) and identification (brands or earmarks, if present) match the
details provided under the section titled “Description of Stock” on the NVD or the EUVD&W.- Check 4
 Examine the answer to Question 3 in Part A of the NVD form “Has the owner stated above owned these cattle since
birth?”. If the answer is “no”, the NVD must be accompanied by evidence such as an agent’s post-sale summary identifying
the seller and endorsed with the words “HGP Free”, or a signed statement or a Livestock Product Assurance (LPA) NVD
from the previous owner declaring the cattle to be “HGP Free”. – Check 5.
An AAV or a “competent
person”
NB: The NVD assessment / clearance is often aligned with the property clearances and may not necessarily be conducted
at the same time, in the same place or by the same person as the palpations – as long as competent and authorised
persons are involved at each stage of the process.
Work Instruction: Assessment of HGP status of cattle for live export
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2. Visually inspect
mob in vendor
lines – Check 6.
 Observe the cattle in the yards for any signs of “bulling” ie. when a steer in the mob is repeatedly mounted and ridden by
other steers in the mob.
 Visually inspect the cattle in each mob. For small yards, walk around the perimeter of the yard observing cattle as they
move around. If the yard is large, enter the yard quietly while maintaining an acceptable flight zone. Encourage the cattle
to pass by in a quiet and orderly fashion. Ensure cattle do not pass behind your back and wherever possible encourage
cattle to pass from left to right so as to increase visibility of the right ear.
 Pay particular attention to the ears. Carefully assess if there are cattle with a triangular hole punched in the right ear of
whether there are any animals with suspicious looking lumps, lesions, or scars, especially in their left ear.
 Examine the cattle as they pass by your inspection point for possible side effects of HGP usage, such as prolapses of the
prepuce, prolapses of the rectum and vagina, abnormal teat development and ‘high tail’.
An AAV or a “competent
person”
Photos courtesy of Ian Partridge
P
(
Work Instruction: Assessment of HGP status of cattle for live export
Version 30/04/2014 10:32 AM
3. Inspect cattle
individually
Check 8.
4. Randomly select 5
animals per mob
Check 9.
 Record the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) data that accompanies each animal as definitive proof that the
animal has been examined by a competent person – Check 7.
 Restrain each individual animal as it is presented, capturing its head in a head bail accompanied with suitable head
immobilisation.
 Palpate the right ear of the restrained animal for the presence of a triangular punch hole, HGP implants, HGP markers and
any abnormal lumps or scars.
 Palpate the back of the entire surface of the left ear from the base to the tip of the ear. Then systematically palpate the
inside of the left ear down to (and between) the cartilaginous ridges for HGP implants, HGP markers and any abnormal
lumps or scars.
 Any animals with spherical objects approximately 1mm in diameter or cylindrical masses approximately 1cm long should
be removed from the mob for closer examination by an AAV (see Step 5 below).
An AAV or a “competent
person”
 On 5 randomly selected animals, palpate both sides of the caudal fold at the base of the tail using the thumb on the
outside of the fold and the forefinger for the inside the fold.
 Visually inspect the caudal folds for scars and fibrous tissue which may indicate recent removal of an implant.
 Isolate any animals with unusual lumps or potential evidence of HGP use in any area other than the ear for a thorough
assessment after all other animals have been examined (see Step 5 below). Check 10.
An AAV or a “competent
person”
Work Instruction: Assessment of HGP status of cattle for live export
Version 30/04/2014 10:32 AM
 Record exact location of each suspicious scar, lesion or lump. Check 11.
 If 3 or more animals have similar lesions in identical positions, contact owner of stock to obtain a more accurate history if
possible. Check 12.
 In the event that the owner of the stock cannot be contacted or sufficient doubt still remains as to the cause of the suspect
(A maximum sample
lesions, contact an AAV for closer examination. (Where 3 or more animals have similar suspicious lesions or foreign
bodies present in approximately the same anatomical position, the occurrence of such irregularities is most likely not due
size of 5 is required
to chance). Check 13.
from any mob to detect  If the prevalence of irregularities as described above is greater than 5% of the mob, the entire vendor line should be
a prevalence of 50%
rejected immediately. Check 14.

If more than one animal is deemed to have been treated with a HGP, the whole vendor line should be rejected. If one
with a 95% level of
animal only is deemed to have been treated with a HGP, it should be rejected and the whole mob/vendor line re-inspected.
confidence. “Livestock
 An AAV may wish to surgically investigate using local anaesthesia to isolate and remove the suspect foreign body.
Disease Surveys: A Field  Any suspect foreign objects recovered by surgical intervention should be retained for further laboratory analysis.
 Re-inspect the whole mob/vendor line if you are unable to confirm the exact HGP status of the isolated animals.
Manual for
5. Assess isolated
suspect animals
An AAV or a “competent
person”
Veterinarians” 1982,
Australian Bureau of
Animal Health,
Canberra.)
6. Provide report of
HGP status of
each mob/vendor
line to an AAV
Check 15
 There are three alternative findings that can be reported for each vendor line, depending on the outcome of the
inspections:
1. Report a finding of “HGP Free” to an AAV if no evidence of HGP usage has been detected; or
2. Report a finding of “HGP Free” to an AAV if no evidence of HGP usage has been detected among the majority of the
animals, and any animals with suspicious lesions/scars/lumps have been removed from the mob/vendor line; or
3. Report a finding of “HGP Positive” to an AAV if there is evidence suggesting that HGPs have been used on the cattle
in the inspected mob/vendor line.
Work Instruction: Assessment of HGP status of cattle for live export
An AAV or a “competent
person”
Version 30/04/2014 10:32 AM
7. Provide
certification of
HGP Status
8. Declaration of
HGP status by
exporter
 Upon receipt of a report on the HGP status of the mob from the competent person who has inspected the cattle, or where
the accredited veterinarian has performed the inspection his/herself, the accredited veterinarian will produce a report on
the HGP status of the mob.
 The report should include the wording “I have found no evidence of use or suspicion of use of HGPs in the (insert number)
head of cattle I have individually inspected on (insert date).”
 The report should include confirmation that all the procedures listed above have been accomplished including examination
of the NVD (Serial No.: ), visual mob inspection, individual palpation of each ear of each animal in the mob/vendor line,
and random sampling of the caudal fold area of at least 5 animals in the mob.
 The report will provide assurance that the accredited veterinarian has a record of the identification of all animals inspected,
as well as details of the individual identification of the suspect animals that have been rejected from the mob.
 The report will identify the discrepancies in numbers between the animals classified as “HGP Free” and the numbers listed
on the NVD or EUVD&W. The reasons for removal of the suspect animals in the mob will be provided eg. “thickening of the
caudal fold but no evidence of a HGP implant or scar on the back of the ear at a location where an implant may have been
expected to have been inserted”.


AAV
The Exporter must make a declaration of the HGP freedom of the cattle to the Department of Agriculture based on the
AAV certification.
The Exporter should maintain the records from the AAV inspection for no less than two years after the export and make
these available to LiveCorp annually to support the refinement and evaluation of the system.
Work Instruction: Assessment of HGP status of cattle for live export
Version 30/04/2014 10:32 AM

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