10 May 2022
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise industry that applications are now open to export strawberries to Thailand for the 2022 season.
Summary of changes and key points
- Strawberries produced and prepared in Tasmania and Western Australia are eligible to apply for accreditation under the protocol agreement.
- Farm and packhouse managers must submit a completed Application for plant export accreditation of farms or Application for plant export accreditation of packhouses to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Audit and Assurance Branch by 5pm AEST 23 May 2022. Late submissions will not be accepted.
- New treatment facility applicants must submit a completed Application for registration as a plant export registered establishment and/or associated operations and functions (EX26d) and associated EX26 form to the Certificate Management Group by 5pm AEST 23 May 2022. Treatment facilities previously registered for this export pathway do not need to reapply.
- All information in the application (for example, ABN numbers, contact details, accredited property maps and addresses) must be complete and correct or the application may not be accepted.
- Crop monitors must complete the generic crop monitor course online through the Tocal College online eLearning hub by Friday 27 May 2022 to be eligible to conduct crop monitoring for strawberries to Thailand.
- Farms and packhouses will be subject to audits by us.
- Strawberries sourced from Western Australia must be subjected to mandatory methyl bromide fumigation at a registered treatment facility prior to export.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
The protocol for exporting strawberries to Thailand mandates that farms, packhouses and treatment facilities are accredited or registered with us prior to the export season.
The protocol requires that strawberries must be produced in Australia and sourced from a Thailand approved production area. Currently, only strawberries produced and packed in Tasmania and Western Australia are permitted to be exported to Thailand under the protocol.
For specific market requirements, refer to the protocol in the ‘Documents’ section on the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor). To access these documents, you must be a registered Micor Plant 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.
Treatment facility responsibilities
- Treatment facilities must be registered establishments.
- Methyl bromide facilities must be jointly approved by Thailand and us to treat strawberries for export to Thailand. If your treatment facility is not approved for export to Thailand, please contact Horticulture Exports Program.
Accredited property responsibilities – farms and packhouses
- Farms and packhouses must apply for accreditation annually.
- Farms may divide their orchard into blocks which must be contiguous. Each block must be clearly identified on the application form and on the farm map by its physical address or geographic co-ordinates.
Note: Further detail on map and block requirements can be found on the application forms and in the Guideline: Management of horticulture export accredited properties on the Plant Export Operations Manual. 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.
- Applicants must be available for audits, to ensure compliance with the protocol and departmental requirements.
- We will notify applicants of audit dates and provide an audit briefing.
- Applicants will be advised of the audit outcome, and accreditation number/s will be provided to successful farms and packhouses.
- We can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
Crop monitor responsibilities
Only crop monitors who have completed the online training and passed the assessment are eligible to conduct crop monitoring for protocol markets.
- Online crop monitor training for strawberry must be completed annually through the generic crop monitoring course.
- The generic crop monitoring course is now open via the Tocal College online eLearning hub.
- Crop monitors must complete the assessment by Friday 27 May 2022.
- Crop monitors must be audited for compliance at the relevant accredited property audit.
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
David Ironside
Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch