Fresh Notes: Packhouse Action Group (PAG) Meeting
Held on 5 August 2021
PAG Web Page Feedback
Contact: Elise-Marie Steenkamp
- The PAG site is the most visited page on the Hortgro website.
- Top downloads:
- Container Handling Procedures – 111 downloads
- Jaco Visagie – Trends in Container Technology and Supply – 103 downloads
- Fresh Notes 182 – PAG Feedback (Nov 2020) – 99 downloads
- Fresh Notes 186 – PAG Feedback (Mar 2021) – 79 downloads
- CA Manual Revised (31 Jan 2019) – 77 downloads
- The Hortgro database is being updated. Fresh Notes are sent via the newsletter system with up-to-date stakeholder information, allowing for management and user-tracking (who received/read it, etc.).
Moratorium on High-Cube Containers
Contact: Jacques du Preez
- The previous moratorium was not gazetted and expired in June.
- Agbiz and the Department of Transport (DoT) formed a work group to address challenges and find solutions.
- DoT is concerned with Hi-Cube containers but acknowledges they are the future.
- Recommendations include lower trailers and a road-to-rail option.
- Industry faces challenges as loading infrastructure is designed for a certain height; lower trailers may cause back-freight issues.
- A technical team will review the suitability of extending the moratorium for several years, a complete exemption, or the use of lower trailers.
Logistics Chain Efficiencies
Contact: Jacques du Preez
- Recent unrest and cyber-attacks severely disrupted port logistics.
- Daily meetings are held with Transnet.
- Pome fruit lost one week of shipping but was less affected than citrus.
- Cape Town port came online again on 30 July.
- Temporary dispensation to extend the 35-day re-inspection period was activated.
Alternatives to SOPP
Contact: Prof Wiehann Steyn
- Awaiting updates from Citrus Research International.
- Members are advised to test pallets, especially from non-regular suppliers.
- Kiln-dried pallets are an alternative.
New Environmental Act
Contact: Bryce McIntyre
- The new SA Environmental Act is scheduled for November 2021.
- All suppliers to a packhouse must comply with the Act.
Definitions:
- Brand owner: Person/company selling products under a brand label.
- Extended producer responsibility: Producer’s responsibility extends to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.
- Packaging: Any material/container/wrapping/case used for containment, transport, handling, protection, promotion, marketing, or sale of any product or substance (primary, secondary, or tertiary packaging).
- Producer: Any person/company engaged in the commercial manufacture, conversion, refurbishment, or import of new/used products, paper, packaging, and some single-use products as identified by the Minister.
- The UK Environmental Act will become effective 1 April 2022.
Market Access Feedback
Contact: Jacques du Preez / Lindi Benic
- DALRRD performed inspection functions for Mexico, China, and Taiwan.
- Online inspections for the Chinese programme were successful.
- Only 9 containers sent to Mexico; no rejections.
- Taiwan is still using old lists, though new lists have been circulated by DALRRD; new lists expected soon from China.
- Producers are advised to register all orchards, including newly planted ones.
- No movement yet on in-transit cold treatment to India; PPECB is testing land-based cold treatments in containers with DALRRD.
- No progress on access to Thailand; PPECB is clarifying/correcting Thailand (table grapes) and China (apple) protocols with DALRRD.
- 15 containers exported to the USA, with an 8% rejection rate.
Local Market Requirements
Contact: Jacques du Preez
- Clarification needed on interpretation of local marking standards for pre-packs (cultivar, size, etc.).
- Pre-packs for export are not required.
- Members believe applying export standards to local pre-packs would add extra costs; the same standard should be applied as for exports.
CA Meeting / Hortgro Post-Harvest Symposium
Contact: Richard Hurndall / Prof Wiehann Steyn
- The annual CA Meeting and the Hortgro Post-Harvest Symposium will be combined as a webinar on 30 November.
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)
- Research: Prof Wiehann Steyn (wiehann@hortgro.co.za)
- SIZA: Henko Vlok (henko@siza.co.za)