11 January 2019
Purpose
To advise industry that applications are now open for growers, packhouses and treatment facilities to export persimmons to Thailand in 2019.
Summary of changes and key points
- Only farms located in Queensland are eligible to apply under the protocol agreement.
- Growers, packhouses and treatment facilities must complete the appropriate application form and submit the completed form to the Audit Services Group by 5pm AEDT, 25 January 2019. Late submissions will not be accepted.
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- Growers may divide their orchard into blocks. Each block must be clearly identified on the application form and on the orchard map by its physical address or geographic co-ordinates.
Note: Further detail on map and block requirements can be found on the application forms.
- Packhouses must provide evidence of adherence to one of following industry food safety accredited schemes that comply with Thailand’s ‘good practices’ requirements for packhouses:
- Growers, packhouses and treatment facilities must comply with the Guideline: Management of horticulture export accredited properties and the Guideline: Audit of horticulture export accredited properties.
- The department will notify all applicants of audit dates and provide an audit briefing. Audits will be carried out against the requirement of the protocol and applicants will be advised of the outcome. Export approval number/s will be provided to successful orchards, packhouses and treatment facilities.
- For specific market requirements, refer to the relevant protocol on the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor) Plants website. Work plans and protocols can be found in the Documents section. To access these documents, you must be a registered Micor Plants user.
- To register for Micor, go to the registration webpage, complete all fields, and 'Submit'. You will be provided with your login details by email.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce. The protocol for exporting persimmons to Thailand mandates that orchards, packhouses and treatment facilities are accredited with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources prior to the beginning of the export season.
The protocol requires that persimmons must be produced in Australia and sourced from a Thailand approved production area. Currently, only persimmons produced in Queensland are permitted to export to Thailand under the protocol.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
Rossana Carr
A/g Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch