Moving plant goods interstate
To move commercial consignments of plants, fruit or vegetables interstate, they need to be certified as free of pests, diseases and weeds. Depending on the product, you may need to get a Plant Health Certificate, a Plant Health Assurance Certificate or a BioSecure HACCP Biosecurity Certificate.
To obtain these certificates, you can:
- get a government inspector to certify that your goods meet quarantine conditions; or
- obtain accreditation for your business under the Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) Scheme
- Obtain accreditation for your business through an Industry Certification Scheme.
Certification via a government inspector or ICA Scheme (option 1 or 2)
A government inspector can certify your goods on a case-by-case basis (option 1 above), but this can quickly become an expensive and time consuming process. For producers who frequently move goods interstate or between quarantine zones, applying for your business to be accredited could be a better option in terms of time, flexibility and money (option 2 above).
The Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) Scheme is a national scheme administered by all states and territories. The scheme enables a business to be accredited by a state or territory plant quarantine authority to issue plant health assurance certificates for its produce.
Once a business is accredited, it assumes responsibility for specified treatments, inspections or other processes, and can issue Plant Health Assurance Certificates for its own produce.
Quarantine authorities carry out audits on a business to ensure it continues to meet its obligations and for it to maintain accreditation.
Treatments can include dipping, spraying, heat or cold treatment and inspections. Each type of produce may require a number of these procedures, depending on their origin and destination.
Quarantine requirements may change as new pests, diseases and weeds are detected, so make sure you stay up-to-date by contacting your local ICA supervisor at the time of consignment.
Find an ICA
You’ll find the ICAs listed by state or territory in the menu links on the left.
Or you can search for an ICA by number, state or topic.
No ICA for your produce?
If an ICA does not exist for your produce, you will need to check the entry conditions for the state or territory where you would like to send your produce, and the regulators in the state or territory where the produce is grown, to get a Plant Health Certificate.
More information and quarantine regulator contact details
Schedule of National ICA Documents
Industry Certification Schemes (option 3)
The Production Nursery Industry Certification Scheme
BioSecure HACCP certified businesses are able to legally self-certify consignments for compliance to interstate movement controls.
Production nurseries can implement on-site biosecurity procedures and be assessed to become certified under the BioSecure HACCP Scheme. The Scheme provides options to self-certify consignments for interstate trade.
Read more about the Production Nursery Industry Certification Scheme.