Status Update

Grain Trade Australia (GTA) is a member of the Grain and Plant Products Export Industry Consultative Committee (GPPEICC) representing the interests of GTA members.

The GPPEICC is the principal forum for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to consult with the grain, fodder, nuts, seed and timber industries on export inspection and certification, export market access and other relevant issues.

The most recent meeting was held on 17 March 2026 and issues of relevance to GTA members are outlined below.

Meeting Outcomes

DAFF Finance and Budget Issues

DAFF released a Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS) outlining fees and charges for 2026/27, in many cases, with significant cost increases for some functions (https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/sustainablyfunded-exports). Despite various submissions by GTA during the consultation period (most recent CRISConsultation-GTA-Response) seeking clarification of the reasons for charge increases and the implementation of new charges not previously charged, DAFF determined the new cost-recovery arrangements and the progression to full cost recovery by 2029/30 will proceed. In the meantime, given Middle East crisis and agricultural industry feedback, the Government have determined to postpone the move to full cost recovery for 12 months, to now take effect from 1 July 2027.

The new activities that will be charged are outlined in the GTA submission linked above, with the main impact on the grain sector being new charges for Micor management, fit and proper person assessment and export consignment non-compliance investigation. The view of GTA is that there has been no meaningful consultation, explanation or genuine engagement with industry on these charges. Prior to the implementation of the new charges on 1 July 2027, GTA will continue to engage with DAFF on behalf of industry given the impact on all export sectors.

Debt from industry remains similar to the previous reporting period, with DAFF initiating debt recovery actions for some industry members.

Strategic and Operational Matters

DAFF has commenced work to apply a structured, risk analysis approach to plant export pathways. This work is being undertaken to support a more mature, risk-based and data-driven regulatory model consistent with government requirements. As an initial step, DAFF will be engaging with the export supply chain to understand commercial practices and observe export processes across the entire pathway. DAFF will share findings and engage with industry on continuous improvement or reform solutions via GPPEICC.

GTA input into DAFF market access improvements to existing markets and access to new markets continues. This has included provision of advice on market access submissions to markets as developed by DAFF to ensure industry can manage market access under any quarantine requirements outlined in those market access requests. Advocacy with DAFF and other areas of government, including at the Ministerial level continues to highlight the importance of those market access arrangements. Industry continues to be advised of changes via DAFF and GTA Member Updates, and industry is encouraged to provide input where sought to assist GTA in those discussions. To assist this process, DAFF and GPPEICC members are developing a revised protocol to prioritise all new and improvements to market access.

GTA continues discussions with DAFF to improve industry compliance with market requirements where justified changes will reduce the risk of consignments being received that are not compliant with importing country regulations. This includes development of revised Grain Preparation Plan documents for guidance to industry and arrangements for fumigation prior to loading under the Quarantine and Pre-Shipment requirements. As outlined in the Code of Practice, and in Micor, industry is responsible for sourcing and loading grain in compliance with market requirements.

As referred to in previous GPPEICC Market Notifications, there remains areas for industry to improve their provision of export documents to DAFF. A recent review of document resubmissions by DAFF has determined the following causes:

• RFP details – incomplete/errors – 45%
• Supporting documents – incomplete/errors – 35%
• Authorised Officer (AO) paperwork – incomplete/errors – 10%
• Lodgement error – 10%.

As can be seen from those figures, errors detected in the information contained within the both the RFP and the supporting documents accounted for 80% of all resubmissions. Examples of issues requiring resubmission include:

• Missing endorsements per Micor or not applied to all RFP lines
• Missing supporting documents (e.g. ECIR)
• Incorrect treatment text format on RFP
• Import permit not added to PEMS Communications Tab
• Typographical errors in container numbers or fields
• Sampling not aligned with importing country requirements
• Mismatched weight/quantity between inspected goods and RFP
• Inaccurate fumigation details
• Incorrect consignee address or destination format.

DAFF have recently updated their audit policy and as a consequence, there will be a significant increase in the use of unannounced audits as an audit scheduling option. Industry will be informed of the application of unannounced audits through an Industry Advice Notice by DAFF.

GTA and DAFF have finalised the Grain Storage Assets and Management Standard. The Standard will be released on 1 July 2026 (delayed from 2025), and communication plans to industry are currently being developed by GTA and DAFF.

Digital Reforms and IT System Issues

The revision of the Micor system to a new DAFF operating platform continues. GTA has previously provided areas of improvement to Micor and will continue to engage with DAFF on these enhancements over time.

Errors and incomplete export documentation as outlined above continue to be a focus for DAFF as an area where industry can improve and gain significant benefits from quicker access to export documents and a reduction in resubmissions and thus export charges. Various IT system improvements are underway including development of NEXDOC for the grain sector which will be released in May 2026. As advised previously, as all exporters must be registered under the Export Service section to be able to use NEXDOC (www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/certification/nexdoc/access), industry is encouraged to register with DAFF prior to its release otherwise there is the risk of consignments being delayed. It is also important for industry to discuss the preparedness of their third-party software providers for this change to NEXDOC. Various communiques to industry outlining the new system to assist a smooth transition will occur in the weeks prior to its release. In the interim, enhancements to PEMS continue to reduce the error rate when industry submits export documentation to DAFF.

DAFF continues to implement ePhyto with various export markets, albeit at a significantly slower rate than preferred by the grain industry due to various reasons. In various submissions to DAFF, GTA has fully supported the rapid adoption of ePhyto with all markets given the significant benefits to industry such as more timely access and ease of transfer of export documents.

Further information

Contact GTA to seek further information on any of the above issues. Further information on GPPEICC and its membership can be found at: www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/policy/partnerships/consultativecommittees/gppeicc

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