Oct 10, 2025
By Damon Paling, DINZ Trade Strategy Manager
There’s been plenty of healthy chatter about export licensing lately, so here’s a quick update.
The Export Licensing Working Group is steadily advancing its evaluation. The clear goal is no new compliance costs or audits for farmers, and no costs sneaking back on farm. Enforcement sits squarely at the point of export. That means your daily work on farm remains unchanged.
What’s the upside? Export licensing can give us an edge in crowded markets. Take China, where consumers are spoilt for choice in the wellbeing aisle – velvet is just one of many options. To stand out, commercial buyers need real confidence in the systems and organisations behind our product before they’re willing to invest in new product development, sales and marketing.
Export licensing aids in delivering that confidence. It provides an extra layer of assurance and transparency, showing overseas partners that our velvet is backed by solid systems and organisations. That makes it easier for them to commit, invest, and grow the category.
The benefits flow back home: more investment offshore builds out the demand curve, which can ultimately create stronger returns for farmers.
The principle is straightforward: the benefits of export licensing must outweigh the costs. Export licensing should strengthen our market position offshore, without adding any unnecessary red tape or hidden expenses at home.
It’s still an ambitious goal to have export licensing “go live” for the 2026/27 season – but that’s the target. For now, rest easy knowing the focus is on designing an effective system and strengthening assurance with our international customers.
Velvet Season Reminders – NVSB
The National Velvetting Standards Body Newsletter went out last month. Some key reminders are:
- Supervisory visits are to be completed and NVSB notified by 15 December. Remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that your supervisory visit is completed. Please contact your vet if a visit has not been arranged.
- Complete your velvet record book and return to your supervisory veterinarian by 31 March 2026. Local anaesthetic and Xylazine should also be returned by this date.
- Electronic drug reconciliation can be done via the following link >>
- Velvet seasonal declarations are valid for 180 days. Click here for more information >> (Information for Farmers)
- VSD flowchart: With seasonal declarations now in effect for the current season, DINZ has put together the attached flow diagram outlining the declaration and traceability process. VSD traceability process diagram >>
The main point of possible confusion comes in Step 4: VSD document generation. The traceability information component (Part 2) remains unchanged, while it is the farmer declaration (Part 1) that is affected by the shift to seasonal VSDs, valid for 180 days.
