Ica Leaflet

8/11/2019 Ica Leaflet

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The Interstate Certifcation Assurance (ICA) Scheme

What Is Interstate Certifcation

Assurance (ICA)?

nterstate Certification Assurance (ICA) is a national

system of plant health certification based on quality

management principles.

CA provides an alternative to traditional plant health

certification that involved PIRSA inspectors supervising

reatments andor inspecting produce and issuing Plant

!ealth Certificates for the interstate movement of produce.

"nder ICA a business can become accredited to issue

Plant !ealth Certificates for its produce. #o become

accredited a business must be able to demonstrate it has$

n place effective in%house procedures that ensure produce

consigned to interstate mar&ets meets specified quarantine

requirements.

What Is The ICA Scheme?

#he ICA Scheme is a national plant health certification

scheme accepted by all States and 'orthern #erritory. #heCA scheme provides a harmonised national approach to

he audit and accreditation of businesses in Australia and

he mutual recognition of Plant !ealth Assurance

Certificates accompanying consignments of produce

moving interstate.

What are the benefts o ICA?

#he 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$ hoever they are li&ely to

include %

increased fleibility of operations

(businesses can plan and schedule

operations ithout the need to arrange a

*iosecurity SA inspector to be present)+

improve aareness of quality issues

(documented staff responsibilities and

duties)+

improve operational control (procedures

ell documented)+

improved staff participation through

structured and documented training,

reduced certification costs.

How does ICA work

ICA is based on documented -perational

Procedures developed by *iosecurity SA%Plant

!ealth in conunction ith industry and interstate

quarantine authorities.

-perational 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.

/ach -perational Procedure details %

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+

and

completion of nationally accepted Plant

!ealth Assurance Certificates (P!AC0s).

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-perational Procedures have been developed for a range

of treatment and condition requirements including the

folloing %

area freedom to various pests

dipping

flood spraying

lo volume non%recirculated spraying

fumigation

heat treatment (vapour heat and hot ater)

cold treatment

hard green mature green unbro&en s&in

condition

pre%harvest treatment and inspection

-ther -perational Procedures eist and ne ones are

developed as the need arises.

What is an ICA arrangement?

An ICA arrangement is an agreement beteen a business

and PIRSA. An ICA arrangement covers one business

operating under one -perational Procedure at one facility

location).

"nder an ICA arrangement the accredited

business assumes responsibility for specified

treatments andor inspections previously

underta&en by *iosecurity SA % Inspectors.

PlRSA ensures that the ICA arrangement is in

place and or&ing effectively through a program of

regular audits.

-nce accredited$ a business is able to issue

documents &non as Plant !ealth Assurance

Certificates that are accepted by plant quarantine

authorities of other states and the 'orthern

#erritory as evidence of conformance to the

specified quarantine requirements covered by the

certificate.

How do I become accredited?

A business see&ing to become accredited for an

ICA arrangement must complete and lodge an

application for accreditation on the prescribed

form. Completed applications should be forardedto+ iCA$ *iosecurity SA % Plant !ealth$

11 2lemington St$ 3lenside$ S.A. 4564.

Application must be made by the individual

partnership$ incorporated company$ cooperative

association or other legal entity that ons and

operates the business to be covered by the ICA

arrangement. A separate application is required

for each ICA arrangement being sought.

An ICA arrangement must be audited before the

business can be accredited. Audits are a

systematic eamination of the business$ its staff$

equipment and facilities to verify conformance

ith the requirements of the -perational

Procedure covering the ICA arrangement.

Regular scheduled audits ill be carried out on an

ongoing basis. #he number and frequency of

audits ill depend on issues such as the period of

operation of the facility and the -perational

Procedure.

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Further Inormation

2urther information on the ICA Scheme$ application forms

and copies of the -perational Procedures are available on

he *iosecurity SA % Plant !ealth$ Plant !ealth -perations

CA 7eb Site+ .pir.sa.qov.auicaor the national

89:A73 ebsitehttp,domesticquarantine.orq.auunder

CA 8atabase -r from,

CA /nquiries

PIRSA *iosecurity SA % Plant !ealth Plant !ealth

-perations

11 2lemington Street$ 3;/'SI8/ SA$ 4564

/mail PIRSAPIanthealth:ar&etAccess5? ?=@

2acsimile (5=) =>5? ?=

3ary Co$ :anager$ :ar&et Access and Systems

*iosecurity SA % Plant !ealth

D: A413256 May 2013
http://www.pir.sa.qov.au/icahttp://www.pir.sa.qov.au/icahttp://domesticquarantine.orq.au/http://domesticquarantine.orq.au/http://www.pir.sa.qov.au/icahttp://domesticquarantine.orq.au/


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The Interstate

Certifcation

Assurance (ICA)

Scheme

Government o SouthAustralia

Biosecurit SA

tBeProtectingJ &Plant !ealth D

ID: A413256 May 2013

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