Horticulture Export Industry Consultative Committee (HEICC)

The role and purpose of the Horticulture Exports Industry Consultative Committee (the committee) is to provide a forum for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to consult with the industries involved in the export of horticulture products. Within the framework of government policies and legislation delivered by us that relate to the export inspection and certification, the committee is the primary consultation body to:

• discuss export inspection and certification issues affecting industry and propose solutions to address these issues
• discuss relevant market access issues
• discuss the performance of our programs
• communicate outcomes of the committee’s work to relevant export industries
• explore, identify and promote opportunities to improve the efficient and effective administration, provision and consumption of our cost recoverable regulatory activities and services.

The committee acts in a consultative rather than in an advisory capacity and is not a regulatory approval or decision-making body. The committee will consider:

• strategic directions for our Horticulture Exports Program ensuring Australia meets its obligations to the International Plant Protection Convention
• significant proposed changes to policy and operational procedures
• program budgets, cost recovery mechanisms and charging guidelines
• key program performance issues such as efficiency and effectiveness indicators.

The committee, however, will not consider:

• individual commercial concerns of committee members
• basic operational issues
• authorisation of expenditure or commitment of funds.

Membership

Membership of the committee includes representatives of commodity sectors regulated by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Horticulture Exports Program. While membership is expected to change as industry itself changes, it currently includes:

• Apple and Pear Australia Ltd
• Australian Horticultural Exporters’ and Importers’ Association
• Australian Mango Industry Association Ltd
• Australian Melon Association Inc
• Australian Table Grape Association Inc
• AUSVEG Ltd
• Avocados Australian Ltd
• Berries Australia Ltd 
• Cherry Growers Australia Inc
• Citrus Australia Ltd
• Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd
• Nursery & Garden Industry Australia Ltd
• Summerfruit Australia Ltd

Meetings

The committee meets a minimum of 3 times a year. Additional face to face meetings or teleconferences may be held if urgent issues arise.

Meeting summaries:

• Meeting 33 held on 4 October 2023 (PDF 164 KB), (DOCX 19 KB)
• Meeting 32 held on 16 August 2023 – Summary unavailable
• Meeting 31 held on 16 March 2023 (PDF 151 KB), (DOCX 20 KB)
• Meeting 30 held on 12 October 2022 (PDF 150 KB), (DOCX 19 KB)
• Meeting 29 held on 6 July 2022 (PDF 135 KB), (DOCX 17 KB)
• Meeting 28 held on 16 March 2022 (PDF 163 KB), (DOCX 19 KB)
• Meeting 27 held on 9 November 2021 (PDF 130KB), (DOCX 18 KB)
• Meeting 26 held on 14 July 2021 (PDF 173 KB), (DOCX 19 KB)
• Meeting 25 held 3 March 2021 (PDF 140 KB), (DOCX 20 KB)
• Meeting 24 held 28 October 2020 (PDF 157 KB), (DOCX 25 KB)
• Meeting 23 held 8 July 2020 (PDF 120 KB), (DOCX 17 KB)
• Meeting 22 held 19 February 2020 (PDF 118 KB), (DOCX 17 KB)
• Meeting 21 held 8 October 2019 (PDF 73 KB), (DOCX 17 KB)
• Meeting 20 held 17 July 2019 (PDF 100 KB), (DOCX 16 KB)

Contact

For further information regarding the committee, refer to the Terms of Reference and Administrative Guidelines or email HorticultureExports@aff.gov.au

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