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- About Your Licence
- Game Meat Processing Facility Licences
Game Meat Processing Facility Licences
Everything you need to know about Game Processing Facility, Field Depot and Harvest Vehicle licenses and a Field Harvester approval.
Summary
- The law requires that you are approved by PrimeSafe to harvest game animals for sale.
- The law also requires that you have a licence to transport, store, process and sell game meat for human consumption or pet food.
- There are four different game licenses. You might need more than one game licence or approval if you conduct more than one activity in the supply chain. You apply for each of the licenses or approval that cover the activities that you want to undertake.
What Game Meat approval or licence to get
Get a Game Meat Field Harvester approval to harvest and sell game. You don’t need this approval to harvest kangaroo.
Get a Game Meat Processing Facility (harvest vehicle) licence to:
- use a vehicle to field harvest wild game animals to sell
- transport wild game animal carcasses to a game meat processing facility (premises)
- transport wild game animal carcasses to a game meat processing facility (field depot)
- transport wild game animal carcasses to a pet meat processing facility
Get a Game Meat Processing Facility (field depot) licence to store wild game animal carcasses under refrigeration (in a vehicle or at a premises) for a short time before transporting to a game meat processing facility or to a pet meat processing facility.
A field depot can include the meat carrying compartment of a vehicle used to transport wild game animal carcasses under refrigeration to a game meat processing facility (premises) or pet meat processing facility.
Get a Game Meat Processing facility (premises) licence if you want to:
- process game meat and/or game meat products for human consumption
- package game meat and/or game meat products for human consumption
- retail game meat products
- wholesale game meat products.
PrimeSafe issues these licenses under the Meat Industry Act 1993. You may need more than one licence.
Abattoirs, further meat processing facilities and poultry processing facilities can also get a Game Meat Processing Facility (premises) licence if:
- the facility meets the construction and equipment requirements,
- no game meat processing occurs during the processing of non-game meat, and
- all processing equipment is fully cleaned and sanitised before processing non-game animals.
PrimeSafe licence conditions require all meat processing facilities to comply with relevant Australian and Victorian standards and guidelines.
For harvesting, transporting, storing and processing game this is the Australian Standard for the Hygienic Production of Wild Game Meat for Human Consumption (AS 4464:2007).
When we approve you or give you a licence, you need to meet the approval or licence conditions. Get help from us if you don’t understand your approval or licence conditions.
There are things your business needs to do before we can give you a licence. To learn about preparing your business before you apply and how to apply, read Apply for a licence.
Game Meat Harvest Declaration
When you supply game carcasses you need to declare it by completing the Game Meat Harvest Declaration form.
Go to the PrimeSafe Game Meat Harvest Declaration form.
Game Meat Field Harvester approval requirements
You need the following to be an approved game meat field harvester:
- Certificate of Attainment for Wild Animal Field Harvesting (or equivalent) from an approved Registered Training Organisation,
- evidence of shooting proficiency certification, and
- nominated licensed harvest vehicle to use when harvesting.
Audits are NOT required for game meat field harvesters.
Game meat processing facilities (premises) are audited in the first week after opening and then every week until their Quality Assurance Program is fully implemented. Game meat processing facilities (premises) then have audits every six months.
Harvest vehicles and field depots have one audit each year anytime in the licence period.
Audits for game meat processing facility licenses are conducted by a PrimeSafe approved auditor.
Find out about Audits.
There is an application fee when you apply for a new licence or approval.
There is an annual fee to hold the licence or approval that you pay each year in June.
There are other charges when you hold a licence or approval with PrimeSafe.
You may have to pay a fine if you do not meet your licence or approval conditions.
PrimeSafe follows the Department of Treasury and Finance’s guideline for setting fees and charges.
Our current fees
You can calculate the annual fee for a premises or field depot by estimating the annual throughput of the facility. Throughput is defined as the weight (tonnes) of material brought into a facility for processing.
Game Meat Field Harvester approval fees
| Approval | Application Fee ($) | Annual Fee ($) |
| Game Meat Field Harvester | 121 | 242 |
Game Meat Processing Facility licence fees
| Licence | Annual Throughput | Application Fee ($) | Annual Fee ($) |
| Harvest Vehicle | Not applicable | 241 | 482 |
Field Depot Vehicle / Premises | Up to 500 tonnes | 366 | 732 |
| 501 to 2,500 tonnes | 850 | 1,699 | |
| Over 2,500 tonnes | 1,276 | 2,552 | |
| Game Meat Processing Facility (Premises) | Up to 500 tonnes | 481 | 961 |
| 501 to 2,500 tonnes | 1,050 | 2,100 | |
| Over 2,500 tonnes | 1,675 | 3,350 |
Calculate the total cost to apply today for a licence
To apply for a game licence or approval you need to pay:
- the application fee (paid once only)
- the licence fee (paid when you first apply and then every year in June).
For Game Meat Processing Facility, Field Depot and Premises licenses the amount you pay when you apply depends upon the time left until the licence is renewed in June (pro-rata). The licence fee for a Field Harvester approval and Harvest Vehicle are NOT pro-rata when you apply.
Use the Fee Calculator to see what you will pay today to apply for a licence.
All PrimeSafe fees are GST exempt so we will not give you a tax invoice when you pay.
Fee Calculator
Please answer the following questions.
Standards and guidelines that apply
Use this standard to process, store and transport wild game meat for human consumption.
This technical guideline applies to the harvesting of game meat such as wild deer, kangaroo, rabbit, pig and goat for human consumption and pet food.
We're here to help
Send us your questions and we'll get back to you in two to seven business days.
