Australian fumigation accreditation scheme (afas) roles and responsibilities

The Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme is a voluntary partnership between the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), the quarantine agencies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea and the registered AFAS fumigators in these countries. It is designed to provide capacity building assistance to overseas fumigation regulators; improve the technical expertise of overseas fumigators and regulatory officers; and to assist overseas fumigators to maintain a high standard of fumigation performance and compliance with AQIS requirements.

Understanding the obligations of all parties can assist in gaining full benefit from the scheme. The following outlines the common roles and responsibilities of all parties in all AFAS arrangements.

AQIS

The roles and responsibilities of AQIS include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide initial training and documentation to industry and local quarantine agencies to establish and administer AFAS.
  
• Accept fumigation certificates that conform to AFAS requirements.
  
• Periodically monitor consignments covered by acceptable fumigation certificates to ensure the effectiveness of AFAS and compliance with Australian quarantine requirements.
  
• Promptly provide local quarantine agencies with information regarding ineffective AFAS fumigations and provide assistance with investigations where requested.
  
• Participate in the annual joint system review.
  
• Provide advice and support to local quarantine agencies when required regarding the ongoing operations of AFAS.

Local Quarantine Agencies

The roles and responsibilities of the local quarantine agencies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Establish and administer the required AFAS training, assessment and accreditation of fumigators in accordance with the AFAS arrangement.
  
• Establish and administer systems for the assessment, registration and auditing of fumigation companies in accordance with the AFAS arrangement.
  
• Establish and maintain a register of all fumigation companies registered as part of AFAS.
  
• Ensure only companies that can perform effective fumigations in accordance with AFAS protocols are registered under AFAS.
  
• Provide AQIS with the register of AFAS registered fumigation companies and promptly advise AQIS of changes to this register when they occur.
  
• Conduct a minimum of two audits per year of registered fumigation companies in accordance with AFAS protocols to assess the capacity of the registered fumigation company to conduct acceptable fumigation treatments.
  
• Take prompt, appropriate action where a registered fumigation company fails or refuses to demonstrate their ongoing capacity to conduct acceptable AFAS fumigation treatments.
  
• Participate in the annual joint system review.
  
• Maintain all records relating to assessment, registration and auditing of fumigation companies and fumigators for a period of not less than two years.

Acceptable Treatment Providers

The roles and responsibilities of registered acceptable treatment providers include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Ensure all fumigation treatments are performed according to the AFAS requirements.
  
• Ensure all documentation is completed according to the AFAS requirements, maintained for a period not less than two years and made fully available at audit or upon request.
  
• Ensure any company changes that may affect their ability to meet AFAS requirements are promptly reported to the local quarantine agency. (e.g. movement of accredited persons or changes in address details)
  
• Allow your local quarantine agency to audit your company at any time to ensure your compliance with AFAS.
  
• Cooperate with the audit to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the AFAS requirements.

If you require any additional information, please contact the AFAS contact in your country. These contact details can be found on the AQIS website at: www.daffa.gov.au/aqis/about/contact/afas