16 May 2022
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses, and for the registration of treatment facilities, to export mangoes and lychees to protocol markets for the 2022-23 season.
Summary of key points
Farm and packhouses
- Applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses to export lychees to the USA and to export mangoes to the USA, China, Japan and South Korea, for the 2022-23 season.
- Applications must be submitted by 5 pm, Friday 22 July 2022. Late applications will not be accepted.
- Lychee farms and packhouses wanting to export to the USA can download and complete the relevant applications below and forward to the Australian Lychee Growers Association.
- Mango farms and packhouses wanting to export to USA, China, Japan and South Korea can complete their application forms through the Australian Mango Industry Association online application system . To obtain a login, contact the Australian Mango Industry Association directly via email.
Note: The mango online system has recently been upgraded. As a result, when logging in the first time all users will need to click on ‘Forgot Password’ to reset their password. - Note: For export to Japan, farms and packhouses are not required to be accredited as the protocol only requires treatment facilities and post-treatment pack houses to be registered.
- All information in the application (for example, ABN numbers, contact details, accredited property maps and addresses) must be complete and correct or the application may not be accepted.
- Farms and packhouses will be audited by the department.
- Crop monitor training and assessment for mangoes and lychees is available through the Tocal College online eLearning hub
Treatment facilities
- Treatment facilities, that are not already a registered establishment, wanting to apply for either:
- Irradiation treatment of mangoes/lychees for export to the USA, or
- Vapour heat treatment of mangoes for export to China, South Korea and Japan
must download and complete the Application forms for registration as a plant export registered establishment and/or associated operations and functions (EX26a and EX26d) and forward to the department’s Certificate Management.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
The protocols for exporting mangoes and lychees to USA, and mangoes to China and South Korea, mandate that farms and packhouses are accredited, and treatment facilities are registered with us prior to the export season. For mangoes to Japan, only treatment facilities, and post-treatment packing facilities must be registered.
For specific market requirements, refer to the relevant protocol and/or work plan in the ‘Documents’ section of the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor). To access these documents, you must be a registered Micor Plant user.
To register for Micor, go to the registration webpage, complete all fields and then click ‘Submit’. You will be provided with your login details by email.
Accredited property responsibilities – farms and packhouses
- Farms and packhouses must apply for accreditation annually (unless otherwise advised).
- Growers may divide their farm into blocks. Each block must be clearly identified on the application form and on the farm map by its physical address or geographic co-ordinates. Further detail on map and block requirements can be found on the application forms and in the Guideline: Management of horticulture export accredited properties on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
- Packhouses must submit a separate application for each packhouse facility.
- All applicants, including existing accredited properties, must be available for audits, to ensure compliance with the relevant workplan and protocol.
- Audits by the department may occur pre-season and/or during the season (during harvest). Any farm or packhouse that was not accredited for the 2021–2022 season will be audited pre-season.
- Pre-season audits will be conducted in August/September 2022. Our audit team will contact applicable farms and packhouses to arrange these audits. In-season audit periods will be determined during the season in consultation with industry.
- We can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
- Requirements for accredited properties, to assist in preparing for audit, including management guidelines, audit guidelines and performance standards can be found on the Plant Export Operations Manual
Crop monitor responsibilities
Only crop monitors who have completed the online training and passed the assessment are eligible to conduct crop monitoring for protocol markets.
- Online crop monitor training is now open for mangoes and lychees
- Crop monitors must complete the assessment by 30 September 2022.
- Training must be completed before flowering (budburst) when crop monitoring begins.
- Crop monitors must be audited for compliance at the relevant accredited property audit
- The eLearning course content will remain accessible through to the end of the season for crop monitors to refer to for information.
Treatment facility responsibilities
Treatment facilities must be a registered establishment and approved for the specific country, commodity and treatment combination for protocol, markets.
Treatment facilities that are currently approved by us for the irradiation treatment of mangoes and lychees to the USA, or the vapour heat treatment of mangoes to China, Korea and Japan will automatically be included on the approved list for export that we provide to the importing country. To confirm your approved operations, refer to your registered establishment’s Certificate of Registration.
Treatment facilities that are currently not approved for the countries, commodities and treatments they would like, must submit an Application for registration as a plant export registered establishment and/or associated operations and functions (EX26d) and be audited by us and the importing country, where required.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding the lychee application process or the AMIA online application system please email:
Australian Lychee Growers Association
PO Box 6120
Mooloolah QLD 4553
Phone: 0417 639 927
Email: ALGAEO
Australian Mango Industry Association
PO Box 376
Brisbane Markets QLD 4106
Phone: 07 3278 3755 or 0457 555 838
Email: AMIA
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, or are unable to submit your application using the AMIA online system please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
David Ironside
Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch