01 October 2024
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise the citrus industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of packhouses to export to protocol markets for the 2025 season, as well as for the accreditation of packhouses under the packhouse grower supplier model.
Summary of changes and key points
- Applications are now open for the accreditation of packhouses to export citrus to South Korea, China, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand and the United States for the 2025 season.
- Packhouse managers can complete the application forms online through the Citrus Australia registration system. Applications must be completed by 5pm AEDT, Thursday 31 October 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Note: All information in the application including ABNs, contact details and addresses must be complete and correct or the application may not be accepted. - Packhouse managers can also apply to operate under the packhouse grower supplier model online through the Citrus Australia registration system.
- If your packhouse was accredited with us for exports to the above protocol markets in 2024, your details are already in the system, and you will receive an email from Citrus Australia. If you have not already received an email, please contact Citrus Australia.
- If you have not applied for accreditation previously, please contact Citrus Australia.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
Packhouses intending to export citrus to certain markets must be accredited by us prior to export.
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 register as a Micor Plants user.
Specific market accreditation requirements
Packhouses exporting to the following markets must apply for accreditation:
- South Korea (all states)
- China (all states)
- Thailand (all states)
- Japan (all states. Note: accreditation will be issued to packhouses located in fruit fly pest free areas, all other packhouses that apply can export without accreditation)
- New Zealand (only packhouses sourcing fruit from farms located in Queensland need to be accredited)
- USA (access to this market is limited to specific production areas. Please refer to the Micor case for further information).
Note: Some markets only require accreditation in select circumstances.
Exports to all other markets do not require accreditation.
Packhouse responsibilities
- Packhouses must apply for accreditation annually.
- If your packhouse was accredited in 2024, your details are already in the Citrus Australia online system. If you wish to change any details, do not delete your existing details. Please contact Citrus Australia to make amendments to existing details. Deleting properties may result in new accredited property numbers being assigned, which may impact access to protocol markets.
- 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.
- Packhouses must be available for audits by the department, to ensure compliance with the protocol and our requirements. Some entities may be audited by the importing country.
- Audits will occur either pre-season and/or in-season (during harvest). Any 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.
- Applicants will be advised of the audit outcome, and accreditation number/s will be provided.
- We can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
- Packhouse managers must be aware of all growers that have nominated to pack at their packhouse at time of audit.
- Requirements for accredited properties, including management guidelines, audit guidelines and performance standards can be found on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
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 be eligible to apply for the packhouse grower supplier model, the packhouse must also have been accredited in the previous export season.
Application for accreditation under the model can be completed through the Citrus Australia registration system.
All applications must be accompanied by a completed Packhouse management of growers template.
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.
For further information on the requirements of the packhouse grower supplier model, refer to the Plant Export Operations Manual.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding applying for accreditation, please email Citrus Australia.
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
Gaylene Podhajski
Acting Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch