17 April 2023
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise the strawberry industry that applications for the export of strawberries to Thailand are now open for the 2023 season.
Summary of changes and key points
- Strawberry properties in Tasmania and Western Australia (excluding Queensland fruit fly outbreak zones) 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 Audit and Assurance Branch by 5pm AEST 19 May 2023. 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.
- Farms and packhouses will be subject to audit by the department.
- Treatment facilities which are not already a registered establishment approved for methyl bromide fumigation, who wish to apply for approval should contact the Horticulture Exports Program.
- Only treatment facilities that have passed an initial audit conducted by the Thailand Department of Agriculture are allowed to perform methyl bromide fumigation of strawberries for export to Thailand.
- Treatment facilities previously registered for this export pathway do not need to reapply.
- Crop monitors must complete the generic crop monitor course online through the Tocal College online eLearning hub by Friday 26 May 2023 to be eligible to conduct crop monitoring for strawberries to Thailand.
- Strawberries sourced from Western Australia (excluding Queensland fruit fly outbreak zones) must be subjected to mandatory methyl bromide fumigation at a registered treatment facility prior to export.
- Strawberries sourced from within a Queensland fruit fly outbreak zone will not be permitted to export to Thailand.
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 the department 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 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.
Accredited property responsibilities – farms and packhouses
- Farms and packhouses must apply for accreditation annually.
- Farms and packhouses cannot be located in an ongoing Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni) outbreak zone. Further information about outbreak zones can be found on the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development website.
- Farms 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.
- 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.
- Requirements for accredited properties, including management guidelines, audit guidelines and performance standards can be found on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
- Audits will be held either pre-season or in-season (during harvest). Farms and packhouses that were not accredited during the 2022 season will be audited pre-season.
- Farms and packhouses must be available for audits by the department, to ensure compliance with the protocol and our requirements.
- Accreditation and/or maintaining accreditation will be reliant on audit outcomes.
- Applicants will be advised of the audit outcome, and accreditation number/s will be provided to 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 strawberries 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 26 May 2023.
- Crop monitors must 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.
- Fruit must be securely packaged and transported if moving through the Export Assurance Zone to be fumigated or exported. Further information about outbreak zones can be found on the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development website.
- Methyl bromide facilities must be jointly approved by Thailand and the department to treat strawberries for export to Thailand. If your treatment facility is not approved for export to Thailand, please contact Horticulture Exports Program.
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