Licensing

How to apply for a Pet Meat Processing Facility Licence

In accordance with the Meat Industry Act 1993, you are unable to commence operations until a licence has been granted by PrimeSafe.

To get a PrimeSafe licence, you need to:

  • Ensure your facility is fit for purpose, in a good state of repair, can be cleaned and sanitised effectively, and complies with the relevant standards.
  • Develop a written food safety program.
  • Sign an agreement with a PrimeSafe approved auditor.
  • Submit a licence application.
  • Pay the application fee.

When should I apply?

Applications for a PrimeSafe licence should be submitted 10 days prior to the date you wish to commence operations.

Apply now

There are three ways to apply for a PrimeSafe licence:

  1. Fill out the application form in the PrimeSafe Licensee Portal by following the instructions in the How to use the Licensee Portal link below; or
  2. Download the application form, print, scan and email it to info@primesafe.vic.gov.au; or
  3. Fill in the form at the PrimeSafe office.

How often do I need to renew my licence?

The licence period for a pet meat processing facility licence is 1 July to 30 June. That means you must renew your a pet meat processing facility licence by 30 June each year for it to remain current and you do not operate unlicensed.

Any licensee who fails to renew their licence by 30 June may required to pay an application fee in addition to the annual renewal fee.

How do I renew my licence?

PrimeSafe will send you a notice to renew your licence around the middle of May.

There are two ways to renew a PrimeSafe licence:

  1. Via the PrimeSafe Licensee Portal and paying by credit card or BPAY.
  2. By filling in the printed form and paying by credit card over the phone or at the PrimeSafe office.

It is important that you renew you renew your licence by 30 June each year to ensure that your licence remains current and you do not operate unlicensed.

Requirements

Name of Applicant and Nominated Operator

You will need to nominate a name under which the licence will be held at the time of application. The applicant can either be you, a partnership or a company. PrimeSafe cannot accept business or trading names as the applicant.

You will also need to nominate an operator of your facility. The operator holds an important position and has responsibility for the operations of the facility.

  • Where the applicant is a company, the operator must be an officer of the company.
  • Where the applicant is a partnership, the operator must be a partner.
  • Where the applicant is a person, the operator must be that person.

Third Party Auditor

You will need to nominate a PrimeSafe approved third party auditor on your application form. A third party auditor is engaged by you to conduct audits of your facility once a licence has been granted by PrimeSafe. You should contact a third party auditor and sign an agreement for auditing services prior to submitting an application. 

You will need to demonstrate to PrimeSafe that you have engaged a third party auditor to conduct audits of your facility otherwise a licence will not be issued.

Where confirmation of auditing services has not been received within 30 days of the pre-licence inspection, your application will be cancelled. The annual fee will be refunded and the application fee forfeited.

Approved third party auditors

Construction Inspection

You will need to ensure that your facility complies with the relevant standard prior to submitting an application.

Standards and guidelines

Once your application has been processed, a PrimeSafe Licensing Manager will contact you to arrange a suitable time for a pre-licence inspection of your facility to confirm whether it complies with the construction requirements of the relevant standard.

Where your facility complies with the construction requirements of the relevant standard, you may commence operations immediately (provided that confirmation of auditing services has been received). If you do not wish to commence operations immediately, you will need to nominate a commencement date within 30 days of the inspection. In the event that you are unable to commence operations within 30 days of the initial inspection, your application will be cancelled. The annual fee will be refunded and the application fee forfeited.

Where your facility does not comply with the construction requirements of the relevant standard, you will be given 30 days to rectify any outstanding issues. The PrimeSafe Licensing Manager will provide you with details of any outstanding issues in writing. A further inspection of your facility may be required depending on the severity of the non-conformance.

Where you are unable to rectify all outstanding issues within 30 days from the initial inspection, your application will be cancelled. The annual fee will be refunded and the application fee forfeited.

Issue of Licence

A licence to operate an inedible rendering facility will be issued following confirmation that:

  1. You have engaged the auditing services of a PrimeSafe approved third party auditor; and
  2. Your facility complies with the construction requirements of the relevant standard.

You will receive a copy of the following documents:

  • Licence certificate
  • Licence conditions
  • Relevant standards and guidelines
  • PrimeSafe Licensee Charter

It is important that you clearly understand the conditions of your licence. If you have any queries, please contact the PrimeSafe office.