Freshcare Environmental - Reef Assured is a Recognised Program for Banana Producers to demonstrate Reef Regulations.
Freshcare and the Australian Banana Growers’ Council have been working with the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the Office of Great Barrier Reef to gain accreditation of the Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured Program under Part 5A of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) for agricultural environmentally relevant activities – commercial banana cultivation.
This accreditation was sought to ensure that Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured certified participants are recognised for the systems they have in place that are already verified by third-party audits. This places Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured certified participants at a lower priority for compliance activities undertaken by the Department.
The Reef Protection Regulations established by the Queensland Government to protect the Great Barrier Reef, apply to all banana producers in the Wet Tropics, Burdekin, Mackay Whitsunday, Fitzroy and Burnett Mary regions (download the Great Barrier Reef catchment and river basin map)
As an accredited program Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured audits for Banana producers in the specified regions, will undertake to verify the specified application rates and record-keeping requirements in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act, and in alignment with the existing Freshcare Environmental compliance criteria.
“Reef Assured” is the category added to the Freshcare Environmental Certificate for Banana Producers fully certified and achieving the Reef Regulation requirements. These certified producers will then be the lowest priority for regulatory inspections.
Under the Reef protection regulations, all banana producers in the Wet Tropics, Burdekin, Mackay Whitsunday, Fitzroy, and Burnett Mary regions will be required to:
- keep general records from 1 December 2019, for example about fertilisers applied to land
- comply with minimum practice agricultural standards as this requirement is applied to each region from December 2020.
- obtain an environmental authority (permit) if commencing new or expanded cropping or horticulture activities on five hectares or more that do not meet the cropping history test in the Cape York, Wet Tropics, Burdekin, Mackay, Whitsunday, Fitzroy and Burnett Mary regions from 1 June 2021.
Information and resources developed for Banana Producers in Reef Catchments
Freshcare ENV Factsheets:
Freshcare ENV3 – Banana Cultivation Resources Combined
Freshcare Factsheet – E5 Nutrient management (Banana cultivation) Ref1.2
Freshcare ENV Forms:
Form – E5 (modified) Fertilisers and soil additives application record – bananas Ref1.0
Form – E5 (insert) Nutrient management plan – bananas Ref1.0
Australian Banana Growers Council – Banana BMP and environmental resources:
Queensland Reef Water Quality Program – Bananas Factsheet:
www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/113482/factsheet-bananas.pdf
Queensland Reef Water Quality Program – Prescribed Banana Methodology:
www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/113145/prescribed-banana-methodology.pdf
Queensland’s Reef Protection Regulations and minimum Agricultural Standards:
www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/reef/reef-regulations/producers/bananas
The Agricultural Environmentally Relevant Activity Standard for Banana Cultivation:
www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/113143/banana-era-standard.pdf
Queensland Government Reef Protection Regulations – Regions affected:
www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/reef/reef-regulations/regions
ENV Reef Assured
- Where to go for assistance
The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) Best Management Practice Team can help you access valuable training and support to improve the environmental practice, productivity and profitability of your business through the Banana BMP self-assessment and incentives program.
Visit: abgc.org.au/environmental-bmp or Email: [email protected]
- Contact from Government Compliance Officers
Growers certified as Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured, have their landholder details shared with the Queensland Government. Where available, the government compliance officers will take this information into account but there may be a time lag for all relevant data to be provided and verified.
If you are contacted by a government compliance officer and have Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured certification or are due for re-certification against the Reef Assured category, please advise the compliance officer. They will request a copy of your Freshcare Environmental certificate with the ‘Reef Assured’ category to provide this and your details to the Queensland Government.
- What information is reported to the Queensland Government?
Freshcare is required to submit data to the register of certified landholders (including landholder contact and business details and the location of the land on which the activity occurs) to the Queensland Government at least annually. This information is stored on a secure site only accessible to authorised Queensland Government officers. The data is only used to provide prioritisation for the compliance program and cannot be shared or used for any other purpose.
Growers will remain on this list while their Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured certification is current, and their accreditation program maintains its recognition under the Reef protection regulations.
- What to expect at your Freshcare Environmental - Reef Assured Audit
As an accredited program, Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured audits apply for banana growers in the specified regions. In addition to the Freshcare Environmental compliance criteria, audits to the “Reef Assured” program for bananas, will verify the specified application rates and record-keeping requirements in accordance with the Reef Protection regulations are in place.
Reef Assured is a category added to the Freshcare Environmental Certificate for banana growers who are fully certified and meet the Reef protection regulation requirements.
- Is Freshcare Environmental - Reef Assured Certification now a mandatory requirement for Banana growers in Reef Catchments?
Complying with the Reef protection regulations is a mandatory requirement for all commercial banana growers in specified Reef catchment regions.
Freshcare Environmental and the Banana BMP are voluntary practice change programs that support the adoption of the legislated minimum practice agricultural standards.
Banana growers that choose to achieve Freshcare Environmental – Reef Assured certification are considered a lower priority for compliance inspections under the Reef protection regulations.