28 July 2015
Summary
All on-shore cold treatment facilities intending to export horticulture commodities that are fruit fly hosts to Thailand must submit an ‘Export listing application form’ by Tuesday 11 August 2015.
Only on-shore cold treatment facilities approved by the Australian Department of Agriculture (the department) and Thailand Department of Agriculture (DOA) can perform on-shore cold treatment for horticulture exports to Thailand.
Key points
Thailand’s import conditions require that all fruit originating from outside a fruit fly pest free area must be cold-treated.
Protocols state that all on-shore cold treatment facilities involved in the export of horticultural commodities to Thailand must be approved by the department and DOA.
On-shore cold treatment facilities must be registered establishments. A list of approved on-shore cold treatment facilities must be provided to DOA before those entities are permitted to conduct on-shore cold treatment of horticultural commodities for export to Thailand.
Facilities planning to conduct on-shore cold treatment of horticultural commodities for export to Thailand during 2015/2016 must submit completed applications by 11 August 2015.
Please note that the following information must be provided to the department as part of the application:
- facility location and layout including treatment rooms, inspection and load out areas
- description of how product security will be maintained for each treatment and loading
- dimensions of the facility
- capacity of each cold room used for treatment
- specifications and details of temperature-recording equipment including serial numbers of the fruit pulp temperature probes and air sensors
- the type of insulation used in the cold rooms
- the make, model, type, and capacity of the refrigeration condenser and evaporator air circulation
- the temperature range of the equipment, defrost cycle control and specifications and details of any temperature-recording equipment
- detailed Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) for product security, movement and treatment.
This information will be assessed by the department and it will also be forwarded to DOA for assessment. The department will schedule for your facility to be audited and DOA may request to audit all facilities.
Background
An on-shore cold treatment facility can only be approved for Thailand if it is a registered establishment, all protocol requirements are met, all information requested has been provided, and the facility has passed audit.
On-shore cold treatment facilities must be audited by the department. In addition, DOA must approve on-shore cold treatment facilities and they may also request to audit facilities prior to approval.
All costs associated with any audit by DOA including DOA inspector travel and accommodation arrangements are the responsibility of industry.
For specific market requirements refer to the relevant workplans and protocols on the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MICoR) Plant website. To access these documents, you must be a registered MICoR Plant user.
Each relevant facility must submit an application form (attached). Forms must be completed and returned by 11 August 2015 to Horticulture Exports Program ACT.
Should you have any further enquiries, please contact the Horticulture Exports Program by phone (02) 6272 4743 or by email Horticulture Exports Program ACT.
[signed]
for Peter Creaser
A/g Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations