Poultry Farm
If you rear poultry with the intention for the meat to be sold or supplied for human consumption, then you require an accreditation with Safe Food Production Queensland (Safe Food).
This activity is classified as Producing under the Meat Scheme of the Food Production (Safety) Regulation 2014.
If you intend to supply live poultry to multiple processing facilities, then you will require an accreditation as a Producer, which will incur fees. If you intend to supply to one processing facility, then you may become accredited under a Preferred Supplier Arrangement (PSA). Under a PSA, you are not required to pay fees to Safe Food.
Other accreditations you may need
If you are transporting poultry meat (e.g. from a processing facility back to your business), then you will require an accreditation as a Transporter.
If you are storing poultry meat under active refrigeration for supply or sale, then you will require an accreditation as a Cold Store.
What should I submit with my application?
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Application form
Complete the Application form and select Producing (meat scheme, poultry meat) as your activity on page 2. If you are applying as a PSA, please also select this option.
Note: If you want to complete this form on your mobile or desktop, please download or save it first.
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Payment of fees
Fees and payment details can be viewed within the Application form.
*If you are applying as a PSA, ignore the total fees payable on the application form. PSA accreditations are issued at no charge.
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Management Statement or Food Safety Program
You must submit either a management statement or food safety program detailing your on-farm practices.
A management statement is a concise way of documenting how your business intends to operate and what activities you intend to undertake. It should be written by you (the applicant) in your own words. We also accept other formats of this management statement (e.g. from processors).
A Food Safety Program (FSP) documents the processes and procedures you will follow to minimise or eliminate food safety risks and ensure the food you produce is safe. This is a detailed document that covers all aspects of your business, from inputs, product descriptions and temperatures, right through to cleaning, maintenance and pest control. It involves a risk assessment to identify where any possible issues may arise, how to recognise these issues, what the acceptable limits are around each step, and what to do to rectify a food safety issue, should it occur.
A FSP can be developed in partnership with a food safety consultant, your industry association or the processor that you supply to (if you operate under a PSA). However, you are not obliged to use these.
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Approval from local council
You must provide written confirmation from your local council that you are permitted to undertake your proposed activities at the site from which you intend to operate.
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Biosecurity map
You must submit a biosecurity map for each site that you are applying for accreditation. This will help identify the biosecurity strengths and weaknesses of your property. Further instructions and an example biosecurity map are available.
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Evidence of registration as biosecurity entity
You must provide evidence to Safe Food that you have registered as a biosecurity entity with Biosecurity Queensland, and provide your Property Identification Code (PIC). More information is available here.
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Signed PSA Agreement (PSA applicants only)
If you are applying under a PSA, you must submit a signed agreement between you (the supplier) and the processor that will receive your birds. Under a PSA agreement, you can only supply to one processor. This processor is responsible for ensuring you operate in accordance with their approved Food Safety Program, the Food Production (Safety) Act 2000 and the Food Production (Safety) Regulation 2014.
A blank copy of a PSA Agreement can be downloaded here.
Submit your completed application to [email protected] or PO Box 221, Greenslopes, Brisbane, QLD 4120.
When to apply
Under the Food Production (Safety) Act 2000, it is unlawful to engage in certain activities relating to primary production or processing of food until you have been granted an accreditation by Safe Food. As such, you should allow adequate time for your application to be reviewed by Safe Food before you begin operating.
Your application will aim to be assessed within 14 days, although applications submitted in their entirety (with all the items outlined above) are likely to be processed faster.
Upon submission of your application, a member of our Central Assessment Team will contact you for payment (if paying by credit card). Once payment has been received, your application will be assessed, and we will contact you if we require any further information.
You will be notified in writing about the outcome of your application (approved or refused).
Fees
Fees are based on the activities you are carrying out and are outlined in the Application form.
New applications will incur a one-time application fee that is non-refundable.
Our accreditation period runs from 1st January – 31st December*. You will therefore need to renew your accreditation on an annual basis.
For more information, please refer to our fees & charges.
*Our fees are not pro-rata.
Standards & guidelines
Food Production (Safety) Regulation 2014
Food Production (Safety) Act 2000
Standard 4.2.2 – Primary Production and Processing Standard for Poultry Meat
AS 4465 – Australian Standard for Construction of Premises and Hygienic Production of Poultry Meat for Human Consumption
National Farm Biosecurity Manual – Poultry Production
National Water Biosecurity – Poultry Production
Safe Food Notifications Protocol
Listeria Management Guideline (Australian Meat Regulators Group)