02 August 2024
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise the mainland apple and pear industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses to export apples and pears to Thailand for the 2025 season, including application for accreditation of packhouses under the packhouse grower supplier model.
Summary of changes and key points
- Farm and packhouse managers must complete their application forms using the Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) export registration system by 5:00pm AEST Monday 7 October 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Note: All information in the application including ABN, contact details, accredited property maps and addresses must be complete and correct or the application may not be accepted. - Orchards or packhouses accredited for export to Thailand in 2024 will receive an SMS notification from APAL advising that the application process for accreditation has commenced.
- Orchards or packhouses not accredited in 2024 and wanting to export to Thailand in 2025 must contact APAL to access the export registration system.
- Crop monitors must complete the online core Crop Monitoring module and the apple and pear courses through Learnhub by 5:00pm AEST Monday 7 October 2024 to be eligible to conduct crop monitoring.
- Accredited property packhouses for mainland apples and pears can now apply for an additional export function to operate under the packhouse grower supplier model.
- Applications for the packhouse grower supplier model must be submitted to the Audit and Assurance Branch using the Application for accreditation under the packhouse grower supplier model by 5:00pm AEST Monday 7 October 2024.
Note: This is in addition to the accredited property packhouse application through the Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) export registration system.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
The protocol for exporting mainland apples and pears to Thailand mandates that farms, packhouses and treatment facilities are accredited or registered with the department prior to the export season.
For specific market requirements, refer to the relevant protocol in the ‘Documents’ section of the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor). To access these documents, you must register as a Micor Plants user.
Accredited property responsibilities – farms and packhouses
- Farms and packhouses must apply for accreditation annually.
- 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. 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 on the Plant Export Operations Manual. - Debt checks will now occur on all accredited property applications. Properties with debt owing to the department will be notified and given 10 business days to pay the relevant debt or enter into an arrangement to pay the debt. If the debt is not paid, the accredited property application will be refused.
- Farms and packhouses must be available for audits by the department, to ensure compliance with the protocol and our requirements.
- Audits will occur either pre-season and/or in-season (during harvest). Any farm or packhouse that was not accredited during the 2024 season will be audited pre-season.
- Accreditation and/or continuation of accreditation will be reliant on audit outcomes.
Note: We may use a combination of announced and unannounced audits as part of our assurance process. - We can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
- Requirements for accredited properties, including management and audit process instructions and performance standards can be found on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
- Packhouses exporting fruit to Thailand must comply with Thailand’s hygiene and quality requirements for packhouses and provide evidence of compliance at time of audit. See the Thailand Food and Drug Administration requirements for packhouses in the Documents section of Micor for further information.
Crop monitor responsibilities
- Online crop monitor training for mainland apples and pears must be completed annually through Learnhub. The training consists of a core crop monitoring module and an apple and pear module.
- Crop monitors must register to conduct crop monitor training by completing and submitting the Crop Monitor Training Request Form, including those who have completed training in previous years.
- Crop monitors must complete the training and pass the assessment by 5:00pm AEST Monday 7 October 2024.
- Only crop monitors who have completed the online training and passed the assessment are eligible to conduct crop monitoring for protocol markets.
- Crop monitors will be audited for compliance at the relevant accredited property audit.
Packhouse grower supplier model
The packhouse grower supplier model is a voluntary, alternative assurance model and auditing program for accredited property packhouses and farms. The model provides an alternative method of gaining regulatory assurance that horticulture export accredited property farms are compliant with trading partner and export regulatory requirements. Packhouses that apply for accreditation under the model will have the additional export function added to their existing accreditation, if approved.
Application process
To apply for accreditation, the packhouse manager must complete the Application for accreditation under the packhouse grower supplier model. To be eligible for the model, the packhouse must have been accredited in the previous export season (2024). If an accredited property packhouse is new to export, or it was not accredited in the previous export season, then it will not be eligible to apply for the model until the next export season (2026).
A more efficient audit process for industry
Packhouses approved to operate under the model will be subject to an in-season departmental audit to ensure packhouse and farm obligations are being met. Growers will not be directly audited; however, compliance with obligations by the farm will be assessed through the packhouse audit.
Some potential benefits include:
- Packhouses could save time by not having to coordinate grower audits.
- Packhouses could use their existing grower management processes to meet the department’s requirements.
- Growers could save on the cost of audits and spend less time with auditors.
Supporting material
The following policy and instructional material is available on the Plant Export Operations Manual:
- Guideline: Management of horticulture export accredited properties operating under the packhouse grower supplier model
- Reference: Performance standards for the packhouse grower supplier model
- Reference: Application for the packhouse grower supplier model
- Reference: Packhouse management of growers template.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
Rossana Carr
Acting Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch