Consignments are to be free from pests, soil, weed seeds and extraneous material.
Original and certified translation of the import permit must be presented to the Authorised Officer at the time of inspection.
Establishment registration requirements:
- It is the inspection and packing registered establishment's responsibility to ensure they are registered with the GACC prior preparing or exporting sorghum to China. This registration is separate to the department's registration of export registered establishments.
- If a registered establishment is inspecting and packing sorghum to China for the first time then contact must be made with the Grain and Seed Export Program (Grain.Export@agriculture.gov.au) so that the name and location of your business can be provided to GACC. GACC registered establishments are published on the GACC website.
Import permit requirements:
Chinese import permits may specify the purpose as processing. However, if the below terms are on the import permit then this Micor case must be used:
- Sorghum is referred to as "forage Sorghum"
- The quarantine requirements state "The entry approval is granted to the product which is listed in this permit for feed processing, or processing for stockfeed"
- Import permits are obtained that specify freedom from pests / diseases such as Contarinia sorghicola; Prostephanus truncatus; Trogoderma granarium; Peronosclerospora sorghi; Sorghum almum; Sorghum halepense; Datura spp.
If the import permits specifies the purpose as processing for food and the quarantine requirements do not specify freedom from pests / diseases such as Contarinia sorghicola; Prostephanus truncatus; Trogoderma granarium; Peronosclerospora sorghi; Sorghum almum; Sorghum halepense; Datura spp. then the Sorghum for processing case should be used.
If there is any confusion surrounding the end use of an import permit, the Grain & Seed Exports Program must be contacted before an inspection is completed. If this Micor case is used for an inspection and a request to amend the Supplementary code is made a re-inspection of the goods will need to take place. If a re-inspection cannot take place because the goods have left Australia then a new import permit with the end use of processing for human consumption will need to be obtained to be able to issue a phytosanitary certificate.
Explanation of the endorsements:
These endorsements are only to be endorsed on the phytosanitary certificate where the import permit specifically states this requirement. If the import permit does not list any additional declaration requirements for specific pests or diseases, a phytosanitary certificate with nil additional declaration will be issued.
- Greater grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus), Sorghum downy mildew (Peronosclerospora sorghi) and Khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) are not known to occur in Australia. Freedom from these pests can be endorsed without any supporting evidence.
- Visual inspection by the Authorised Officer is required for endorsing freedom from Sorghum midge (Contarinia sorghicola).
- Visual inspection by the Authorised Officer is required for endorsing freedom from Columbus grass (Sorghum almum), Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) and Datura (Datura spp).
- Laboratory testing of a representative sample is required for endorsing freedom from Root rot of sorghum (Periconia circinata) on a phytosanitary certificate.
Where applicable, the exporter is to provide evidence attesting to the endorsement and present it to the Authorised Officer at the time of inspection.