23 June 2022
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses to export persimmons to Thailand in 2023.
Summary of changes and key points
- Only farms located in Queensland are eligible to apply for accreditation under the protocol agreement.
- Farms and packhouses must complete the appropriate application form/s below and submit the completed form to the Audit and Assurance Group by 20 August 2022.
Note: Late submissions will not be accepted. - Crop monitors must complete the generic crop monitor course online through the Tocal College online eLearning hub by 30 September 2022 to be eligible to conduct crop monitoring for persimmons to Thailand.
- Farms and packhouses will be subject to audits by the department.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce. The protocol for exporting persimmons to Thailand mandates that farms and packhouses are accredited with the department 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.
For specific market requirements, refer to the relevant protocol on the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor) Plants. 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 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).
- Farms may divide their orchard 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. A block must be a contiguous unit and not be separated by structures such as a building, public road or body of water.
Note: For further information, refer to the Guideline: Management of horticulture export accredited properties. - Audits may occur pre-season and/or during the season (during harvest). Any farm or packhouse that was not accredited for the 2022 season will be audited pre-season.
- Packhouses must provide evidence of adherence to one of the following industry food safety accredited schemes that comply with Thailand’s ‘good practices’ requirements for packhouses:
- Requirements for accredited properties, including management guidelines, audit guidelines and performance standards, can be found on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
- We will notify all applicants of audit dates and provide an audit briefing. Audits will be carried out against the requirements of the protocol and applicants will be advised of the outcome. Accredited property numbers will be issued to farms and packhouses that pass audit.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN please email Horticulture Exports Program.
Rossana Carr
A/g Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch