Fresh Notes: Packhouse Action Group (PAG) Meeting

Held on 1 August 2019

Moratorium on High-Cube Containers

Contact: Andy Connell

• No progress in the last year; Department of Transport has not conducted a study on hi-cube containers.
• Expected to go out on tender for the study again.
• No immediate danger of enforcement on 1 January 2020, but another extension of the moratorium is possible.
• Transport and affected industries will convene a new task group in August to engage with the Department of Transport.

Revised Steri Market Protocols for Newer Cultivars

Contact: Henk Griessel

• Further trials at a shipping temperature of 1°C are still scheduled.

Load-shedding and Load Out Temperatures

• PAG recommends the dispensation operates for another season and will apply for an extension.
• Dispensation applies to possible build-up of uncooled or partially cooled fruit at cold stores due to load-shedding.
• Maximum load out temperature tolerance:
  • Apples: +3.0°C
  • Winter pears: +2.0°C
  • (Presently set point plus 2.0°C, which in practice normally equates to a tolerance of +1.5°C)
• Dispensation applies only in the case of power cuts and must be verified with the local PPECB inspector.
• Note: This arrangement cannot be applied to summer pears due to the risk of quality problems.

Plastics Strategy

Contact: Dr Malcolm Dodd / Bryce McIntyre

• Delay in this work group due to unavailability of the original lead.
• Dr Malcolm Dodd is convening a group of industry specialists and researchers in August to provide short- and long-term guidance to the industry.

Packhouse and Quality Benchmarking

Contact: Dawid Malan

• Ongoing.

Environmental Footprint

Contact: Eddie Vienings

• Blue North is seeking more participants for data collection for its packhouse water management project.
• A carbon tax information package is included in these notes.
• Primary agriculture is exempted until 2022.
• Organisations with a combined stationary combustion capacity exceeding 1 MW (thermal) will be subject to carbon tax in Phase 1, with immediate effect.

DPA

Contact: Lindi Benic

• The reduced EU MRL of 0.05mg/kg for apples and pears was implemented from 1 May 2019.
• A ring proficiency testing study was commissioned through the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA) to evaluate local laboratories and benchmark them against selected overseas laboratories.
• NMISA results indicated all participants’ results were satisfactory.
• If laboratory quality systems are maintained, analysis of DPA at the new regulatory limit should pose no threat to the apple industry.
• This will help ensure lower EU MRL levels can be met, avoiding/preventing MRL exceedance notifications and recalls of South African agricultural exports.
• Vigilance is crucial in preventing DPA cross-contamination.

Market Access

Contact: Lindi Benic / Jacques du Preez

• Mexico: Golden Delicious volumes increased from 42,000 to 63,000. Efforts underway to make protocols less onerous.
• Taiwan: Teething problems related to PhytClean compliance.
• India: Last in-transit cold sterilisation trial completed; feedback awaited.
• China: Draft protocol for pears received. Provisional registration by 16 August 2019 required. Nine quarantine pests (no diseases/pathogens, FCM not included) listed. Fruit fly sterilisation treatments required. Codling moth requirements same as Taiwan. Non-compliant orchard embargo clause included (not in apple protocol).
• Saudi Arabia: Separate arrangement for fruit safety testing of residues required; uncertainty as to which version is being applied.
• New requirement: Arabic labelling.

PAG Disciplines and Coordinators

Please contact the relevant person if you have any queries regarding the PAG.

• Chairman: Koos Bouwer (bouweb@orangenet.co.za)
• Engineering: Henk Ryke (henk@tad.co.za), Koos Bouwer (bouweb@orangenet.co.za)
• Packaging: Dr Malcolm Dodd (malcolm@alaceraer.co.za), Bryce MacIntyre (bryce.macintyre@kaapagri.co.za)
• Environmental Footprint: Eddie Vienings (eddie@bluenorth.co.za), Hugh Campbell (hugh@hortgro.co.za)
• Packhouse Large: Dawid Malan (dawid@tad.co.za), Francois Malan (francois.malan@cfg.co.za), Willem Coetzee (willem@dutoit.com)
• Packhouse Small: Hendrik Claassen (hendrik@bellafrutta.co.za), Vacancy
• Post-Harvest Quality: Dr Elke Crouch (elke@sun.ac.za), Henk Griessel (henkg@tru-cape.co.za), Jaco Moelich (jaco.moelich@fruitways.co.za)
• Logistics: Johan Strydom (pslog@mweb.co.za), Andy Connell (andy@abarc.co.za)
• Communication Strategy: Richard Hurndall (hurndallr@gmail.com), Koos Bouwer (bouweb@orangenet.co.za), Elise-Marie Steenkamp (elise-marie@hortgro.co.za)
• PPECB: Bernardus Henning (bernardush@ppecb.com)
• FPEF: Werner van Rooyen (werner@fpef.co.za)
• DAFF:
  • Director: Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Billy Makhafola (BillyM@daff.gov.za)
  • Regional Manager: NPPPIS WC Directorate: Inspection Services, Gcobani Tsako (GcobaniT@daff.gov.za)
• Hortgro: Jacques du Preez (jacques@hortgro.co.za), Lindi Benic (lindi@hortgro.co.za)