A new accreditation arrangement is available for interstate wine businesses who send empty used grape bins from a Phylloxera Exclusion Zone (PEZ) into South Australia, to assist them in meeting South Australia’s import requirements under Condition 7A in the current SA Plant Quarantine Standard (PQS) version 16.1a.

This bin accreditation arrangement is known in Victoria as PS-45 ‘Cleaning, inspection and certification of fruit fly host produce bins’ and also applies to used empty citrus bins as referenced under Condition 27 in the SA PQS.

It allows the accredited business’ authorised signatories to complete a Plant Health Assurance Certificate (PHAC) on site for each load of used empty grape bins from an interstate PEZ being consigned to South Australia. This form of certification provides the accredited businesses with a speedier option during the busy vintage period, negating the need to engage interstate Biosecurity Officers to issue a Plant Health Certificate (PHC) per load.

The PHAC in this instance, is a form of certification produced to verify the inspection and cleaning of empty used produce bins as free of soil and plant material and to provide proof of origin.

WINE BUSINESSES PLEASE NOTE:

This new bin accreditation was written by Biosecurity SA for horticulture and grape industries and provided to other jurisdictions to accredit interstate businesses to meet SA entry conditions. Clause 2 in Condition 27 of the SA’s PQS v16.1a released on 6 January 2020, mentioning fruit fly host produce, initiated the applicability of the new bin accreditation. 

By this stage, the 2020 vintage had commenced. As a result, it was agreed with Biosecurity SA that an amnesty period for certification of empty used winegrape bins entering SA from an interstate PEZ would apply until 31 May.

As a result, wine businesses importing empty grape bins (or bulk tippers) into SA from an interstate PEZ must still ensure these bins are clean of soil and plant material, however, prior to 31 May, do not need to have the forms of certification outlined in Condition 7A in the SA PQS. 

All South Australian importers of plants or plant-related products, including machinery and equipment, are reminded that they must be registered as an importer with PIRSA Biosecurity SA and that regulated imports are required to be inspected on arrival, either via PIRSA Direct Inspection or through an accredited IVCA business.