1 November 2024
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise the citrus industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of citrus orchards or blocks to export to protocol markets for the 2025 season.
Summary of changes and key points
- Applications are now open for the accreditation of orchards or blocks intending to export citrus to South Korea, China, Thailand, and New Zealand (Queensland growers only) for the 2025 season.
- Growers are to complete their application online through the Citrus Australia registration system. Applications must be completed by 5:00pm AEDT, Friday 20 December 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.
- If your orchard or block was accredited by us for export to any protocol markets in 2024, your details are already in the Citrus Australia system, and you will receive an email from Citrus Australia to re-apply. If you have not already received an email, please contact Citrus Australia.
- If you have not applied for accreditation in the past, please contact Citrus Australia.
- All nominated orchards or blocks must be surveyed by a registered crop monitor between 1 and 28 February 2025. Please contact Citrus Australia for further information on registered crop monitors.
- For each application, packhouse managers must ensure the crop monitor report, orchard map and electronic declaration that orchards have met quarantine requirements are signed and uploaded into the Citrus Australia online system by 5:00pm AEDT, Monday 3 March 2025. If the farm and/or packhouse manager(s) themselves do not sign, the person signing the application must write “[Full name] - completed on behalf of [grower/packhouse name]”.
Specific market accreditation requirements
Growers exporting to the following markets must apply for accreditation.
- South Korea (all states; oranges and lemons only)
- China (all states)
- Thailand (all states)
- New Zealand (Only required for Queensland orchards. Orchards/blocks in states other than Queensland do not require accreditation for export to New Zealand).
Exports to all other markets do not require accreditation.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
The protocols for exporting citrus to specific markets mandate that citrus orchards or blocks are accredited or registered with us.
For specific market requirements, refer to the relevant protocols and workplans in the ‘Documents’ section of the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor). To access these documents, you must be a registered Micor Plants user.
To register for Micor, go to the registration page, complete all fields and then click ‘Submit’. You will be provided with your login details by email.
Grower responsibilities
- Growers must apply for accreditation annually.
- If your orchard or block was accredited in 2024, your details are already in the Citrus Australia online system. If you wish to change any details, do not delete your existing details. Please contact Citrus Australia to make amendments to existing details. Deleting properties may result in new accredited property numbers being assigned, which may impact access to protocol markets.
- Debt checks will now occur on all accredited property applications. Properties with debt owing us 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.
- Growers should upload a current map with their application which shows the whole orchard and includes at a minimum:
- the orchard’s set boundaries, surrounding areas and major infrastructure (for example, packhouse, dam, dwellings)
- accurate borders of all individual farm blocks within the orchard
- major roads and packhouse labelled and identified, if applicable
- Maps must not be hand-drawn and must contain sufficient information to identify the exact physical location of the property. Aerial/satellite maps to scale are recommended.
- Information provided in the application, orchard map and February survey uploaded to the Citrus Australia system must be consistent (that is, farm address, number and names of blocks, and block sizes must be the same).
- Refer to the Exports process instruction: Management of horticulture export accredited properties for further information.
- Applicants must be available for audits by us, to ensure compliance with the relevant work plans and protocols. Some entities may be audited by the importing country authority.
- Audits will occur either pre-season and/or in-season (during harvest). Any grower that was not accredited during the 2024 season will be audited pre-season.
Note: Farms may not be directly audited if they are being managed under the packhouse grower supplier model, with compliance assessed through the respective packhouse audit. Refer to Industry Advice Notice 2024-47 for further information.
- 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 application outcome, and accreditation number/s will be provided, via email correspondence.
- 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 in the Plant Export Operations Manual
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding applying for accreditation, please email Citrus Australia.
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
Gaylene Podhajski
Acting Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch