4 August 2025
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, packhouses and cold stores, and the registration of treatment facilities to export apples and pears to protocol markets for the 2025-26 season.
Summary of changes and key points
- Applications are now open for mainland farms, packhouses and cold stores to export:
- apples to China and Thailand, and
- pears to Thailand.
- Farm and packhouse managers must complete their application forms using the Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) export registration system.
- Applications must be received by 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 29 August 2025. 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. - As part of the protocol access for apples to China, a new workplan and protocol has been published on Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor) outlining the requirements for farms, packhouses, AOs and exporters throughout the export pathway.
- Accredited property packhouses for apples and pears can now apply for an additional export function to operate under the Packhouse Grower Supplier Model (PGSM).
- Accredited property packhouses for apples and pears can now apply for an additional export function to operate under the PGSM. Applications for the PGSM can be submitted online through the APAL export registration system by 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 29 August 2025.
- Crop monitors must complete the relevant training and assessment modules by 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 29 August 2025 to be eligible to conduct crop monitoring.
- Treatment facilities who wish to register for either China or Thailand, and are not currently registered for either of these markets should do so by 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 29 August 2025 via digital Export Service platform or contact the Horticulture Export Program.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
The protocols for exporting apples and pears to China and Thailand mandate that farms, packhouses, cold stores (for China only) and treatment facilities from mainland Australia are accredited or registered with us prior to export.
For specific market requirements, refer to the relevant protocols and workplans in the ‘Documents’ section of the Micor. To access these documents, you must register as a Micor Plants user.
Accredited property responsibilities – farms, packhouses and cold stores
- Farms, packhouses and cold stores 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. 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 Exports process instruction: Management of horticulture export accredited properties in the Plant Export Operations Manual. - Farms, packhouses and cold stores must be available for audits to ensure compliance with the relevant protocols, workplans and the Plant Export Operations Manual. Some entities may be audited by the importing country.
- All accredited property applications will undergo a debt check. Properties with debt owing will be notified and given 14 business days to pay the relevant debt or enter a payment arrangement. If the debt is not paid, the accredited property application may be refused.
- Audits will occur either pre-season and/or in-season (during harvest). Any farm or packhouse that was not accredited during the 2024-2025 season will be audited pre-season for 2025-2026.
- Accreditation and/or continuation of accreditation will be reliant on audit outcomes.
Note: We will 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 to farms and packhouses by us.
- We can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
- Requirements for accredited properties, including management instructions, audit 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. See the Thailand Food and Drug Administration requirements for packhouses in the Documents section of Micor for further information.
- Farms and packhouses wishing to withdraw from the accreditation process after the closing date (Friday 29 August 2025) will need to email Protocol and Response and provide a reason for withdrawal.
Packhouse grower supplier model (PGSM)
The PGSM is a voluntary, alternative assurance model and auditing program for accredited property packhouses and farms.
Application process
- Accredited property packhouses for apples and pears can apply for an additional export function to operate under the packhouse grower supplier model. To be eligible for the model, the packhouse must have been accredited in the previous export season (2024).
- Applications can be submitted online through the APAL export registration system by 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 29 August 2025.
Supporting Material
- All supporting documentation must be provided with the application.
- Potential applicants should familiarise themselves with the policy and instructional material available in the Plant Export Operations Manual.
Crop monitor responsibilities
- Online crop monitor training for apples and pears must be completed annually through our online learning portal – Learnhub. The training consists of a core module and an apple and pear pest’s 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.
- The crop monitoring training has been updated from previous years.
- Crop monitors must complete the training and pass the assessments for both modules by Friday 29 August 2025.
- Only crop monitors who have completed the online training and passed the assessment for both the core and apples/pear modules are eligible to conduct crop monitoring for protocol markets.
- Crop monitors will be audited for compliance at the relevant accredited property audit.
Treatment facility responsibilities
- Treatment facilities must be registered establishments and approved for the specific country, commodity and treatment combination for protocol markets.
- Treatment facilities that are intending to vary a registered establishment including structural changes are required to notify the Horticultural Export Program and complete the form ‘make a structural change’ to their establishment through the digital Export Service.
- Treatment facilities that are currently not approved for the countries, commodities and treatments they would like (e.g. cold treatment for China), must complete and submit the form, ‘Add a commodity, product, operation or function’ for their establishment through the digital Export Service and be audited by us and the importing country where required.
Contact information
Please direct any queries regarding the online application system to the peak industry body.
Jenny Van de Meeberg
Head of Trade, Apple and Pear Australia Limited
Email: jenny@apal.org.au
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
Jemma Martin
Assistant Secretary
Plant Exports Branch