2 June 2026
Purpose
This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise that applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses, and registration of treatment facilities to export cherries to protocol markets for the 2026-2027 season.
Summary of changes and key points
Applications are now open for farms and packhouses intending to export cherries to China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and Korea for the 2026-27 season.
Farm and packhouse managers can submit their applications by one of the two options below by 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 26 June 2026. 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.
Packhouse managers can also apply for an additional export function to operate under the Packhouse Grower Supplier Model (PGSM).
Crop monitors must complete the relevant training and assessment modules by Friday 10 July 2026 to be eligible to conduct crop monitoring.
Treatment facilities not already a registered establishment (RE), that want to apply for the below registered functions must apply through the Export Service platform by 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 26 June 2026:
- methyl bromide fumigation of cherries for export to China and/or Korea, or
- onshore cold treatment of cherries for export to China, Taiwan and/or Thailand.
Background
Countries with protocol markets have specific requirements for importing Australian produce.
The protocols for exporting cherries to China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and Korea mandate that farms, packhouses and treatment facilities are accredited or registered with the department prior to export.
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 register as a Micor Plants user.
Accredited property responsibilities – farms and packhouses
Farms and packhouses must apply for accreditation annually.
Growers may divide their farm into blocks. Each block must be clearly identified on the application and on the farm map by its physical address or geographic co-ordinates. A block must be contiguous and not separated by structures such as a building, public road or body of water.
Note: For further information, refer to the Exports process instruction: Management of horticulture export accredited properties on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
Audit
Farms and packhouses must be available for audits by the department, to ensure compliance with the protocol and our requirements.
All accredited property applications will undergo a debt check. Properties with debt owing to the Commonwealth will be notified and given 10 business days to pay the relevant debt or enter a payment arrangement. If the debt is not paid, the accredited property application will be refused.
Audits will occur either pre-season or in-season (during harvest). Any farm or packhouse that was not accredited during the 2025 season will be audited pre-season.
Note: Farms may not be directly audited if they are being managed under the PGSM, with compliance assessed through the respective packhouse audit.
Accreditation and/or continuation of accreditation is 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 audit outcome, and accreditation number/s will be provided to farms and packhouses.
The department can only accredit an entity for export if all protocol requirements are met.
Requirements for accredited properties, including management instructions, audit instructions and performance standards can be found on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
Packhouses exporting fruit to Thailand must comply with Thailand's hygiene and quality requirements for packhouses. See the Thailand Food and Drug Administration requirements for packhouses in the 'Documents' section of Micor for further information.
Farms and packhouses wishing to withdraw from the accreditation process after the closing date (26 June 2026) will need to email Audit and Assurance Branch and provide a reason for withdrawal.
Packhouse grower supplier model (PGSM)
The PGSM is a voluntary, alternative assurance model and auditing program for accredited property packhouses and farms.
Application process
To be eligible for the model, the packhouse must have been accredited in the previous export season (2025-26).
Applications can be submitted through the Cherry Growers Australia online registration system at the time of application, or to the Audit and Assurance Branch using the Application for accreditation under the packhouse grower supplier model by 5:00 pm (AEST) Friday 26 June 2026.
All supporting documentation must be provided with the application.
Supporting material
Potential applicants should familiarise themselves with the policy and instructional material available on the Plant Export Operations Manual.
Crop monitor responsibilities
Online crop monitor training for cherries must be completed annually through Learnhub. The training consists of a core module and a cherry pests and diseases module.
Crop monitors must register to conduct crop monitor training by completing and submitting the Crop Monitor Training Request Form, including those who have completed training in previous years.
Crop monitors must complete the training and pass the assessment for both modules by Friday 10 July 2026.
Only crop monitors who have completed the training and passed the assessments are eligible to conduct crop monitoring for protocol markets.
Crop monitors will be audited for compliance at the relevant accredited property audit.
Treatment facility responsibilities
Treatment facilities must be registered establishments and approved for the specific country, commodity and treatment combination for protocol markets.
Treatment facilities that are currently approved for the following do not need to reapply:
- methyl bromide fumigation of cherries for export to China and/or Korea
- onshore cold treatment of cherries for export to China, Taiwan, and/or Thailand.
Note: A renewal process occurs annually for Thailand onshore cold treatment facilities. The department will contact registered facilities each year to facilitate renewal.
Treatment facilities that wish to vary their registered establishment need to apply for additional operations and treatment functions via the Export Service platform and may be audited by the department and/or the importing country.
New treatment facilities that are not registered are required to apply online via the Export Service platform and may be audited by department and/or the importing country.
Contact information
Please direct any queries regarding the Cherry Growers Australia national online registration system to:
Chris Lethbridge
Cherry Growers Australia Inc.
Phone: 0481 514 342
Email: export@cherrygrowers.org.au
Please direct any queries regarding the Fruit Growers Tasmania registration form to:
Kate Dickinson
Fruit Growers Tasmania Inc.
Phone: 03 6169 2059
Email: kate@fruitgrowerstas.org.au
If you have any questions regarding this IAN, please email the Horticulture Exports Program.
Jemma Martin
Assistant Secretary
Plant Exports Branch