Jump to these sections in the article:
The Role of the Department (DAWR)
Exporter’s Responsibilities
Guidelines provided by DAWR
Compliance Requirements for Export Businesses
Documentation of export consignments / EXDOC
Plant Exports National Documentation Hub and PEMS
This section outlines the responsibilities of the main parties and the processes involved in physically exporting your avocados from Australia.
The Role of the Department (DAWR)
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) controls exports of agricultural products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, which are considered a ‘prescribed’ good in the legislation. This assures trading partners that Australian agricultural products meet import requirements.
DAWR’s responsibilities and powers are defined in the Export Control Act 1982 and associated legislation.
Through DAWR’s Plant Export Operations, documents presented by Australian exporters can be certified to ensure compliance with:
- the Export Control Act 1982 and subordinate legislation
- importing country requirements
- Australia’s obligations under the International Plant Protection Convention.
DAWR’s Plant Export Operations works on a cost recovery basis for export service and provides independent fee-for-service export inspection and certification services to exporters. Details of export service fees and charges are detailed in ‘Charging Guidelines 2015-16’
DAWR also maintains a Horticulture Export Industry Consultative Committee. Its role and purpose is to provide a forum for DAWR to consult with the industries involved in the export of horticulture products.
Exporter’s Responsibilities
As an exporter your responsibilities are:
- meet exporter requirements outlined in the Export Control Act 1982 and other subordinate legislation
- meet the importing country’s requirements
- provide export compliant goods for inspection.
Before export documents are issued, you must ensure that the:
- establishment where the commodity is prepared and inspected is registered by DAWR and maintained in a hygienic manner
- transport unit used for export, such as container, is approved
- product is inspected to ensure it is export compliant.
Once these conditions are met, DAWR will issue an export permit or other required documentation.
Guidelines provided by DAWR
The following guidelines are provided to explain the export process for Australian avocado exporters. These are based on guidelines provided by DAWR.
DAWR provides a comprehensive manual – The Plant Export Operations Manual – that outlines in detail information about exporting plants and plant products, export legislation, importing country requirements, product inspections, authorised officers and documentation.
Step 1. Identify whether your goods are ‘prescribed’
Yes, fresh avocados are a ‘prescribed’ good
Step 2. Check the importing country requirements
As an exporter it is your responsibility to check the importing country’s requirements for fresh avocados and if there are any special conditions to be met before you export. Seek information from:
- The importing country’s National Plant Protection Organisation
- MICoR (Plants)
- Your importer.
Step 3. Submit a Notice of Intention to Export or Request for Permit form (RFP) and supporting documents. This documentation must be completed before you export.
Check if any supporting documentation is required. This may include: treatment of the commodity, pest-free area status, or inspection for pests and/or disease during the growing phase. RFPs can be completed through the EXDOC system (see section on Documentation of Export Consignments/ EXDOC below).
Step 4. Prepare your avocados
Fresh avocados must be prepared and inspected in a registered establishment in accordance with the Export Control (Plants and Plant Products) Order 2011, before they are exported. For information on registering your premises see section Compliance Requirements for Export Businesses below.
Avocados may be pre-packed before inspection if the packaging can be removed in a way that allows an Authorised Officer (AO) to inspect them using a method approved under the Export Control (Plants and Plant Products) Order 2011. Alternatively, the avocados may be packed after inspection.
Step 5. Present documents and goods to an Authorised Officer
Present documents and goods
Before export, your avocados must be inspected and certified by an Authorised Officer (AO) at a registered establishment. As the exporter, It is your responsibility to make sure the avocados presented for inspection are export compliant.
To arrange an inspection by a DAWR AO, submit a Request for Plant Exports Inspection Appointment to Plant Export Operations. Inspections by other AOs, such as third party providers, should be organised with the AO. Present your documents to the AO before inspection.
Export Certification
To receive an export permit, provide DAWR a completed Notice of Intention to Export Prescribed Goods or a Request for Permit (RFP) and supporting documents as outlined in Step 3. Once the AO has inspected your goods and is satisfied that they meet the requirements of Australian export legislation and the importing country, the officer will sign and stamp the export permit at the bottom of the Notice of Intention or authorise the Request for Export Permit and send an inspection record to DAWR.
If you are using an industry AO, you must request authorisation of your export permit (see Step 6). If you are using a DAWR AO, they will either issue the permit manually on a Notice of Intention to Export Prescribed Goods form or electronically through the Export Documentation System EXDOC.
Your goods are export compliant and your export permit is valid for 28 days from the export permit issue date. Under certain conditions export permits may be revoked. If it is revoked it must be surrendered to an AO before close of business on the day after the permit is revoked.
Phytosanitary certificates
To confirm whether the importing country requires a phytosanitary certificate, search MICoR or contact the importing country’s National Plant Protection Organisation.
Some importing countries require you to include proof of the pest-free status of the produce or other information about the product, such as treatment. You may have to supply additional documents to demonstrate this. Some countries will only accept an electronic phytosanitary certificate.
If you require a certificate, ask your AO to provide one when you present your goods for inspection. The Export Control (Plants and Plant Products) Order 2011 outlines requirements for issuing phytosanitary certificates.
The Phytosanitary Certificate guarantees that Australian plants or plant products:
- have been inspected and tested using appropriate procedures
- are considered to be free from quarantine pests and practically free from other injurious pests
- conform with current phytosanitary regulations of the importing country.
If you are re-exporting avocados imported from another origin country (New Zealand), different conditions apply. For more details see DAWR’s Exporting plants and plant products: A step-by-step guide for Australian exporters (section 5)
Other certificated and forms
If other certificates are required by an importing country they will be available at: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/export/controlled-goods/plants-plant-products/forms/e16
Lodging forms
Lodge forms electronically through EXDOC or submit a hard copy by email, post or in person to your local DAWR office.
Step 6. Export your avocados
Packing: After the avocados have been inspected and passed as export compliant, they may be packed into packaging, containers or vessels under conditions outlined in the Export Control (Plants and Plant Products) Order 2011. An Authorised Officer must inspect packaging to confirm it is sufficient to protect the goods. Packaging must be unused or suitably cleaned.
Export: Once you are ready to export your goods, contact Plant Export Operations to have your certificates authorised.
Compliance Requirements for Export Businesses
For prescribed products, such as fresh avocados, the Export Control Act 1982 defines the compliance requirements for export businesses:
- Registration of Premises Requirements
All premises where goods prescribed in the legislation are prepared for export must be registered to undertake those operations by DAWR under the Export Control (Prescribed Goods –General) Order 2005. Preparation for export includes processing, packing or storage of goods; treatment of goods and handling or loading of goods.
The business manager must complete an Export Registration Form (EX26) and the establishment must be constructed and have appropriate equipment and work practices to comply with export legislation. The establishment will be audited to confirm compliance with export requirements. Once DAWR provides a letter and certificate of registration, the establishment can produce product for export. Registration timelines are outlined in the Service Charter – Plant Export Operations. These are available at:
Some importing countries may require Australian establishments to be listed before export. They may also expect the establishment to be successfully audited by their own officials.
- Business must have an ‘Approved Arrangement’
When an establishment requests to become export registered, it must have a completed ‘Approved Arrangement’ available for assessment by DAWR. This is a document written specifically for the establishment which includes specific processes and procedures that will enable the establishment to successfully export. An ‘Approved Arrangement’ covers all the commodities that the establishment wants to export and the requirements of destination markets.
For plants and plant products controlled by DAWR, an application for registration of an export establishment must be accompanied by plans, specifications and evidence of an operational record-keeping system.
Fees are charged for this service.
- Management by a fit and proper person – fit and proper criteria include, but are not limited to, being law abiding, truthful in your statements to the government and complying with government directions.
- Compliance with relevant standards – the establishment and the operations conducted in that establishment must meet minimum standards, including export standards and importing country requirements.
- Export standard – compliance with the standards in the export legislation will enable access to international markets.
- Importing country requirements – Some trading partners place additional requirements on establishments that want to export to them. See importing country requirements on MICoR.
Documentation of export consignments / EXDOC
Export documentation includes export permits as required by the Export Control Act (1982) and export certificates as required by importing country authorities. This documentation can be managed in DAWR’s Export Documentation System (EXDOC). It is used by exporters of horticulture and other ‘prescribed’ products, to generate the necessary export permits, certificates and related documents as required by importing countries.
There are two types of users of EXDOC:
- Exporters – the exporter is the party legally liable for the goods and is nominated on the export documentation.
- EDI Users – An EDI User is the party raising the documentation. EDI Users are required to have an installed third party software package to interface with the EXDOC system and are issued a unique EDI User number.
It is possible to register as both an Exporter and an EDI User.
Fees and charges apply for export permits and related documentation. These are outlined in DAWR’s charging guidelines. There is also a cost for third party software for EDI Users to interface with EXDOC.
Users of both EXDOC and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s Integrated Cargo System (ICS) can link the two systems by registering for Single Electronic Window (SEW). This allows EXDOC to generate an export declaration number (EDN) necessary for Integrated Cargo System clearance and streamlines the export process.
See EXDOC system and the SEW and related fees and charges for more information.
Plant Exports National Documentation Hub and PEMS
DAWR has been progressively rolling out a new hub, the Plant Exports National Documentation Hub, to improve access to all the information and documentation services. The national documentation hub will help make the documentation and certification process more efficient by providing:
- electronic processing and issuing of export certification, through EXDOC
- management of any amendments to export certification
- ongoing verification of export documentation and reporting, as required to ensure compliance with certification requirements
- a single invoice for each consignment.
In addition to this, a new documentation system called the Plant Export Management System (PEMS) is also being progressively rolled out. PEMS is for plant export Authorised Officers (AOs) and exporters to simplify and improve the plant export documentation process. This will result in some changes to export documentation processes in the future.
The diagram below shows the documentation process and identifies what tasks will be performed by an exporter, DAWR Plant Exports National Documentation Hub and Authorised Officers.