07 May 2024
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise that applications for the accreditation of farms and packhouses and registration of treatment facilities are now open to export strawberries to Thailand for the 2024 season.
Summary of changes and key points
- Applications are now open for farms and packhouses located in Tasmania and Western Australia (excluding Queensland fruit fly outbreak zones) intending to export strawberries to Thailand for the 2024 season.
- 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 5:00 pm (AEST) 31 May 2024. 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.
- Treatment facilities that are not already a registered establishment approved for methyl bromide fumigation and 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 can perform methyl bromide fumigation of strawberries for export to Thailand.
- Crop monitors must complete the core crop monitoring course online through Learnhub by Friday 7 June 2024 to be eligible to conduct crop monitoring.
- Strawberries sourced from Western Australia (excluding Queensland fruit fly outbreak zones) are subject to mandatory methyl bromide fumigation at a registered treatment facility prior to export.
- Strawberries sourced from within a Queensland fruit fly outbreak zone are not 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 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 relevant protocol in the ‘Documents’ section of the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor). To access these documents, you must register as a Micor Plants user.
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.
- 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 Guideline: Management of horticulture export accredited properties.
- Farms and packhouses must be available for audits by us, to ensure compliance with the protocol and our requirements.
- All accredited property applications will now undergo a debt check. 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.
- Audits will occur either pre-season or in-season (during harvest). Any farm or packhouse that was not accredited during the 2023 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 to farms and packhouses.
- We can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
- Requirements for accredited properties, including management guidelines, audit guidelines 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.
Crop monitor responsibilities
- Online crop monitor training for strawberries must be completed annually through the Core Crop Monitoring module on Learnhub.
- Crop monitors must register to conduct crop monitor training by completing and submitting the Crop Monitor Training Request Form.
- Crop monitors must complete the assessment by Friday 7 June 2024.
- Only crop monitors who have completed the online training and passed the assessment 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 currently approved for methyl bromide fumigation of strawberries to Thailand do not need to re-apply.
- Methyl bromide fumigation 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 the 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