16 May 2019
Purpose
The purpose of this Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses to export Hass avocado to Japan for the 2019 season.
Summary of changes and key points
- Only fresh avocado (Persea americana) fruit of the Hass cultivar are permitted to be exported to Japan.
- Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) protocol conditions apply to fresh Hass avocado sourced from officially recognised areas free from Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) in Western Australia and Riverland (South Australia).
- Japan recognises Tasmania to be free from both Qfly and Mediterranean fruit fly, therefore exports of fresh Hass avocado sourced from Tasmania are not subject to the protocol requirements.
- Farm and packhouse managers must complete the below application form and submit the completed form to Avocados Australia by 7 June 2019. Late submissions will not be accepted.
- Avocados Australia will forward accreditation applications to the department.
- The department may conduct audits prior to confirming accreditation.
Background
- Farms and packhouses intending to export Hass avocado to Japan must be accredited by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, prior to export.
- The avocado protocol and work plan are available in the ‘Documents’ section of the Manual of importing Country requirements (MICoR). To access these documents, you must be a registered MICoR Plant user.
Accredited property responsibilities
Farms may divide their orchard 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.
Farms and packhouses applying for accreditation will be audited by the department to ensure compliance with the relevant protocol and departmental requirements. Some entities may be audited by the MAFF.
Obligations for accredited properties can be found in the Guideline: Management of horticulture export accredited properties and the Guideline: Audit of horticulture export accredited properties.
Applicants must be available on site during the audit and have the following records available, where applicable:
List of required records
Orchard
Good agriculture practices (GAPs) that include the following:
- traceability system
- hygiene
- management program for pests and disease
Packhouses
Standard operation procedures (SOP) that include all processes related to:
- security of product within 24 hours of harvest
- receival and load out of avocado fruit
- grading, processing and storage
- product traceability and segregation
- cleaning and hygiene systems
Contact information
If you have any questions regarding this IAN please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
Rossana Carr
A/g Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations Branch