Date of issue: 08 February 2023
Date of effect: Immediate
Reference Number: IAN 2023-01
Attention
Organic operators and exporters, organic certifying bodies, industry bodies
Purpose
Update of Industry Advice Notice 2020-03: Organic Exports and COVID-19.
Direction
Annual Audit of Operators
Operators continuing to produce, process, prepare, pack and/or store product to the export standard must continue to be subject to an annual audit.
On-site audits
On-site audits must return as standard practice and be undertaken, where safe to do so.
Unannounced audits of operators
Unannounced audits of operators by certifiers will continue, noting that unannounced audits are a requirement of some importing countries. The nature of the audit will be determined by the certifier and documented accordingly.
Annual audit of certifiers
Annual audits of certifiers remain mandatory and will be scheduled as usual. The program will continue to work with certifiers about the nature of these audits and their timing, ensuring that legislative requirements for annual audits are met.
Applications to become an Approved Certifying Body
The program will accept and consider new applications to become an approved certifying body.
Applications to become a certifying body can be submitted via the application form – Application to be an approved certifying body (organic goods) - and providing relevant supporting information.
Further information
For more information and other measures to protect Australia from new coronavirus variants, visit https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19
Any enquiries should be sent to OrganicExports@aff.gov.au.
Disclaimer: This information is current at the time of publication, is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Australian Government endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice. This is a controlled document. Any document appearing in paper form is not controlled and should be checked against industry advice notices published on the website of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.