Seafood Processing Facility Licences

Who this licence suits?

There are three Seafood Processing Facility licences. The level of processing you carry out determines which licence you need.

You only need to hold one licence - the licence that covers the highest level of processing you intend to do.

For example:

If you want to skin, fillet and freeze, and smoke or cure seafood, get a Seafood Further Processor licence.
If you want to shuck, pack and chill seafood only, get a Seafood Processor licence.

With a this licence, you can:

This licence covers the lowest level of seafood processing:

With this licence, you can:

This licence covers the highest level of seafood processing. With a this licence, you can:

You do not need a licence to handle the following species live:

You cannot:

Audit schedule

The Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program Operations Manual(opens in a new window) sets out the procedures and administrative practices that will allow your food safety program to meet the food safety requirements for the production, harvest and storage of bivalve shellfish e.g. oysters, scallops, mussels and pipis.
If you also process or store meat or poultry, your food safety program has to include the principles of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.
Learn more about Food Safety programs.

Licence type	Audit frequency
Seafood Wholesaler	Once each year
Seafood Processor (not smallgoods manufacturing)	Once each year
Seafood Further Processor (not smallgoods manufacturing)	Once each year
Smallgoods manufacturing (Seafood Processor or Further Processor licence)	Twice each year (every six months), regardless of licence type

Updated 11 May 2026