Annex

The exporting National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) has responsibility to ensure the following operational procedures are implemented:

1. Goods must be produced in commercial orchards / vineyards.
2. Goods must be traceable through all stages of the export supply chain including, to the orchard where goods were grown, and the packing house where goods were packed. The exporting NPPO is responsible for ensuring that export growers are aware of pests of biosecurity concern to Australia and the mandatory risk management measures.

3. Growers and Packing houses must be registered with the NPPO before the commencement of harvest each season. The NPPO is required to ensure that the registered growers and packinghouses are suitably equipped, have a system in place to carry out the specified phytosanitary activities, and staff are aware of pests of biosecurity concern to Australia.

   3.1. The list of registered growers and packinghouses must be kept by the exporting NPPO and made available to the Australian NPPO upon request. Records of exporting NPPO audits of registered growers and packing houses must also be made available to the Australian NPPO, upon request.

4. Where applicable, treatment facilities must be registered with the exporting NPPO and approved by the department. The NPPO is required to ensure that the registered treatment providers are suitably equipped and have a system in place to carry out the treatment in accordance with required standards.

   4.1. The NPPO must keep and make available all lists of registered treatment facilities and provide records of audits on request.

5. Goods must be inspected by an officer or delegate of the NPPO, prior to export and found free from:

   5.1. Live pests and diseases of biosecurity concern to Australia, and

   5.2. Trash (for example, loose stem and leaf material), contaminant seeds, soil, animal matter and any other biosecurity risk material.

6. All consignments must be inspected prior to export in accordance with official procedures for all visually-detectable quarantine pests and other Regulated Articles (including soil, animal and plant debris). The department requires sampling and inspection methods to be consistent with ISPM 31 and provide a 95% percent level of confidence that infestations greater than 0.5% will be detected. For consignments equal to or greater than 1000 units (a unit being a piece of fruit), this is equivalent to a 600 unit sample randomly selected across the consignment, using an inspection technique that will detect all life stages of the quarantine pest.
7. If live pests are found during pre-export inspection, they must be identified to a taxonomic classification to determine their quarantine status for Australia, or an appropriate pest management measure can be applied. If required, the exporting NPPO can contact the Australian NPPO and request a determination of regulatory status.

8. If the live pest is a quarantine pest for Australia, remedial action is required. Remedial action includes either treatment of the consignment using an approved treatment to ensure that the pest is no longer viable or withdrawing the consignment from export to Australia.
   8.1. Consignments that do not comply with Australia’s import requirements must be rejected for export to Australia.
   8.2. Evidence of a failed pest risk management measure requires immediate investigation and corrective actions commensurate with the pest detected and pest risk management measure. Actions may include partial or complete suspension of the import pathway depending on the identity and/or importance of the pest intercepted, and the pest risk management measure applied.

   • Evidence of failed pest risk management measures for fruit flies of economic importance including Drosophila suzukii requires suspension of the export pathway which the pest risk management measure applies and notification to Australia. Suspension of trade will continue until the cause of the non-compliance has been identified and corrective actions have been implemented to the satisfaction of Australia.
   • Detections of a pest being managed by a form of Area Freedom will require suspension of the pathway and notification to Australia. Use of an alternative measure must be approved by the department prior to trade re-commencing.
9. An original phytosanitary certificate must be issued for each consignment upon completion of pre-export inspection and treatment (if required) to certify the goods as per ISPM12.
10. Goods must be protected from pest contamination at all times following harvest, during and after packing, storage and movement between locations. Product inspected and certified by the exporting NPPO must be maintained under secure conditions to prevent mixing with fruit for export to other destinations or for the domestic market.