Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) Scheme

The ICA is a national plant health certification scheme accepted by all States and the Northern Territory. The ICA scheme is based on quality management principles. It provides a harmonised approach to the audit and accreditation of businesses throughout Australia and the mutual recognition of Plant Health Assurance Certificates accompanying consignments of produce moving interstate.

ICA provides an alternative to traditional plant health certification that involved PIRSA inspectors supervising treatments and/ or inspecting produce and issuing Plant Health Certificates for the interstate movement of produce.

Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) Arrangements

A business can apply to become accredited to numerous Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) Arrangements. The arrangement is an agreement between a business and PIRSA that allows the business to issue Plant Health Certificates for its produce.

An ICA arrangement covers one business operating under one Operational Procedure at one facility (location).

To become accredited a business must be able to demonstrate it has effective in-house procedures that ensure produce to be sent to interstate markets meets specified quarantine requirements.

Under an ICA arrangement the accredited business assumes responsibility for specified treatments and/ or inspections previously undertaken by PIRSA inspectors.

PIRSA ensures that the ICA arrangement is in place and working effectively through a program of regular audits.

Once accredited, a business is able to issue documents known as Plant Health Assurance Certificates (PHACs) (.PDF) 39 KB that are accepted by plant quarantine authorities of other states and the Northern Territory as evidence of conformance to the specified quarantine requirements covered by the certificate.

The benefits of ICA

The actual benefits obtained by individual businesses in adopting ICA may vary according to the type of operation and the produce covered by the ICA arrangement. The benefits are likely to include:

• increased flexibility of operations (businesses can plan and schedule operations without the need to arrange for a PIRSA inspector to be present)
• improved awareness of quality issues (documented staff responsibilities and duties)
• improved operational control (procedures well documented)
• improved staff participation through structured and documented training
• reduced certification costs.

Becoming Accredited

The ICA arrangement must be audited before the business can be accredited. Audits are a systematic examination of the business, its staff, equipment and facilities to verify conformance with the requirements of the Operational Procedure covering the ICA arrangement.

A business seeking to become accredited for an ICA arrangement must complete and lodge an Application for Accreditation (.PDF) 64KB on the prescribed form. Completed applications should be forwarded to:
The ICA Contact Officer at Plant Health Operations, 46 Prospect Rd, Prospect, SA 5082.

Application must be made by the individual partnership, incorporated company, cooperative association or other legal entity that owns and operates the business to be covered by the ICA arrangement. A separate application is required for each ICA arrangement being sought.

Once accredited, regular scheduled audits will be carried out on an ongoing basis. The number and frequency of audits will depend on issues such as the period of operation of the facility and the Operational Procedure.

Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) Operational Procedures

The ICA Scheme is based on documented Operational Procedures, developed by PIRSA in conjunction with industry and interstate quarantine authorities.

Operational Procedures describe the management system, processes and process controls that must be implemented and maintained by a business to become accredited to certify a specific quarantine requirement has been met.

Each ICA Arrangement has an Operational Procedure which details the requirements a business must meet to attain and maintain accreditation and be able to issue it's own Plant Health Assurance Certificates.

Each Operational Procedure details the:

• scope of the procedure (including the pests, products and locations covered)
• quarantine requirement to be met
• responsibilities and duties of staff involved in managing or implementing the ICA system
• principles of operation, design features and standards applying to the treatment or inspection equipment
• process and process controls that must be implemented
• records and documentation that must be maintained by the accredited business
• completion and issuance of nationally accepted Plant Health Assurance Certificates (PHACs) (.PDF 39KB)

Operational Procedures have been developed for a range of treatment and condition requirements including:

• area freedom to various pests
• dipping
• flood spraying
• low volume non-recirculated spraying
• fumigation
• heat treatment (vapour heat and hot water)
• cold treatment
• hard green / mature green / unbroken skin condition
• pre-harvest treatment and inspection

Further Operational Procedures will be developed as the need arises.

The following are some of the numerous ICA Operational Procedures available in PDF format which can be viewed, printed or downloaded. Each contains an Application for Accreditation (as attachment 1).

ICA-01 Dipping with Dimethoate or Fenthion (.PDF) 442KB

ICA-02 Flood Spraying with Dimethoate or Fenthion (.PDF) 482KB

ICA-04 Fumigation with Methyl Bromide (.PDF) 379KB

ICA-07 Cold treatment - Disinfestation for fruit fly (.PDF) 256KB
This allows produce which has been stored at the prescribed (and recorded) low temperature for the required period to be sent to interstate markets.

ICA-17 Splitting consignments or re-consigning original produce (.PDF) 198KB
This allows produce which has already been consigned, to be partially or totally reconsigned under certain circumstances.

ICA-22 Transfer of Grape Must and Unfiltered Juice from a Phylloxera Infected Area or a Phylloxera Risk Area for winemaking in a Phylloxera Free Area (.PDF) 580KB

ICA-22 Application Form (.PDF) 232KB

ICA-23 Certification of area or property freedom based on monitoring by the accrediting authority. (.PDF) 272KB
This allows produce to be exported from an area (or property) declared free of a specific pest, ie
Fruit Fly.

ICA 23 Application and Property Approval Form (.PDF) 106KB

ICA-25 Cover Spraying Plants (.PDF) 389KB

ICA-29 Treatment of Nursery Stock to Western Australia (.PDF) 1MB

ICA-29 Application Form (.PDF)

ICA-32 Movement of Apricots from South Australia to Western Australia (.PDF) 740KB

ICA-37 Hot Water Treatment of Grapevines (.PDF) 788KB

WI-01 Guidelines for the completion of Plant Health Assurance Certificates (.PDF) 107KB

ICA-50 Movement of Cherries from South Australia to Western Australia (.PDF) 346KB

ICA-54 Inspection of Used Vehicles and Associated Equipment (.PDF) 1.5MB

List of ICA Operational Procedures/Accreditations (.PDF) 46KB
This is a list of the nationally available ICA Accreditations. Please note that some are not accepted by South Australia as clearly indicated.

Export Compliance Arrangements

Compliance Arrangements are similar to those in the ICA scheme except usually they are limited or apply between two States only rather than nationally.

A business may apply to become accredited to numerous Compliance Arrangements which allows the business to operate more freely and usually significantly reduce certification costs when required to meet quarantine requirements of a particular interstate market.

Like ICA, each Arrangement has an Operational Procedure which details the requirements a business must meet to attain and maintain accreditation and be able to export it's produce.

The following are some of the Operational Procedures available in PDF format which can be viewed, printed or downloaded.

Northern Territory
Procedure for the Movement of Plants to the Northern Territory (.PDF) 784KB
This allows plant material to be exported from a Nursery (or property) into the Northern Territory provided criteria are met.
Application for the Accreditation to Move Plants to the Northern Territory (.PDF) 204KB

Tasmania
Procedure for the Movement of Plant Material to Tasmania (.PDF) 47KB
This allows plant material to be exported from an Nursery (or property) into Tasmania provided criteria are met.
Application for the Accreditation to Move Plants to Tasmania (.PDF) 12KB

Western Australia
Procedure for Movement of Cherries from SA to WA (.PDF) 593KB
This allows cherries to be exported from South Australia into Western Australia provided criteria are met.
Application for Accreditation to Move Cherries from SA to WA and Consignment Declaration (.PDF) 120KB
Procedure for the Movement of Apricots from SA to WA (.PDF) 752KB
Application for Movement of Apricots from SA to WA (.PDF) 153KB
CA-02 Procedure for Steam Sterilisation of Plastic Nursery Trays from SA to WA (.PDF) 431KB
Application to Apply for Steam Sterilisation of Plastic Nursery Trays to WA (.PDF) 72KB

Conditions for the movement of lupin grain within South Australia and interstate (.PDF) 676KB