Grain exports fees and charges
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PDF [219kb]AQIS charging guildelines—Grain and Seed Exports Program
Table of Contents
Notice required by client
Chargeable time
Stoppages
Phytosanitary certificates
Replacement certificates
Export permits
Other government certificates
Scenarios related to document charging
Section 1—Introduction
AQIS is responsible for managing Australia's export programs in relation to prescribed goods. It aims to achieve consistency and quality of outcomes between goods inspected by AQIS, and goods inspected by approved inspectors under an approved arrangement. This is in accordance with the legislative framework and Australia's international obligations. In administering the export program, AQIS exercises its statutory functions in the national interest. This is achieved by verifying that importing country requirements are met by way of a process based on visual inspection and associated testing in accordance with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
Section 2—Legislative Base
|
Act |
Regulations |
Order/Proclamations |
|---|---|---|
|
Export Control Act 1982 |
Export Control (Orders) Regulations 1982 |
Export Control (Prescribed Goods – General) Order 2005 Export Control (Plants and Plant Products) Orders 2005 Export Control (Hay and Straw) Orders 2005 |
|
Act |
Regulations |
Order/Proclamations |
|---|---|---|
|
Export Control Act 1982 Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Act 1985 |
Export Control (Orders) Regulations 1982 |
Export Control (Prescribed Goods – General) Order 2005 Export Control (Fees)Orders 2009 |
Section 3—Fee exemptions
Consignments of prescribed grain comprising less than 10kg do not require an export permit and therefore no export permit documentation fee applies. See Export Control (Prescribed Goods – General) Order 2005 Order 2.01 (g). If an importing country requires other export certification for the consignment, all fees described below will apply.
Section 4—Administrative Arrangements
This fee structure is to be applied to all export commodities covered by the Grain and Seed Exports Program:
- prescribed grain (any seed or grain of any of the following kinds: barely, canola, chickpeas, dried field peas, faba beans, lentils, lupins, oats, sorghum, soybeans, split vetch, whole vetch and wheat)
- mung beans
- plants or plant products (other than fresh and dried fruits, fresh vegetables) for which a phytosanitary certificate or any other government certificate is required by an importing country authority.
|
Charge Description |
Unit of charge |
Fee |
Rebate |
Balance |
Item code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Booking fee |
per booking |
18.00 |
7.20 |
10.80 |
SGBF09 |
|
Inspection Fee |
¼ hour per person |
27.00 |
10.80 |
16.20 |
SGIF09 |
|
Tonnage Charge** |
tonne |
0.20 |
0.08 |
0.12 |
SGTC09 |
|
Registered Establishments |
|||||
|
Registered Establishments |
per application |
420.00 |
168.00 |
252.00 |
SGRE09 |
|
Approved Arrangements |
|||||
|
Approved arrangement - Full |
per application |
1,620.00 |
648.00 |
972.00 |
SGAAF09 |
|
Approved arrangement - Sampling |
per application |
1,350.00 |
540.00 |
810.00 |
SGAAS09 |
|
Approved arrangement - Dry Box |
per application |
480.00 |
192.00 |
288.00 |
SGAADB09 |
|
Documentation fees |
|||||
|
Phytosanitary certificate - Electronic |
per document |
65.00 |
26.00 |
39.00 |
SGPCE09 |
|
Phytosanitary certificate - Manual |
per document |
85.00 |
34.00 |
51.00 |
SGPCM09 |
|
Replacement certificate (new) |
per document |
190.00 |
76.00 |
114.00 |
SGRC09 |
|
Other Government certificates |
per document |
70.00 |
28.00 |
42.00 |
SGOGC09 |
|
Overtime |
|||||
|
Time and half - continuous |
¼ hour |
12.00 |
4.80 |
7.20 |
SGO01* |
|
Time and half - non-continuous |
minimum |
209.00 |
83.60 |
125.40 |
SGO02* |
|
Double time - continuous |
¼ hour |
16.00 |
6.40 |
9.60 |
SGO03* |
|
Double time - non-continuous |
minimum |
258.00 |
103.20 |
154.80 |
SGO04* |
|
Double time and a half - continuous |
¼ hour |
20.00 |
8.00 |
12.00 |
SGO05* |
|
Double time and a half - non-continuous |
minimum |
323.00 |
129.20 |
193.80 |
SGO06* |
*Existing item codes
** Tonnage charges do not commence until 21 December 2009
Note: For out of office inspections, a minimum of two ¼ hour inspection fee charges will apply
Section 4.1 Booking fee
The booking fee has been introduced to cost recover previously unrecovered costs of staff taking and processing bookings.
A booking fee of $10.80 (after rebate) will be charged when a client books an AQIS service. The booking fee will be charged per booking event. This means that if a client makes three bookings for three separate inspections, only one booking fee will be charged. If a client then contacts AQIS to vary the booking this will incur another booking fee of $10.80 for each variation. Clients must also make a booking for inspection of products in an AQIS office.
The booking fee will be charged at the time the booking is made and will not be refunded if the booking is cancelled, even if prior notice is given. There will be no fee incurred for cancellation of bookings. If AQIS makes an error, the booking fee will be refunded.
Notice required by client: AQIS requires 3 clear working days notice before the goods are to be exported. Once a booking is made, AQIS requires 8 working hours notice of any changes to the booking schedule, so that staff can be informed in advance. AQIS export managers have discretionary power to vary the required notice in particular circumstances.
If an AQIS inspector has travelled to an inspection to find that the inspection has been cancelled, the client will be charged the minimum inspection fee of 2 x ¼ inspection fees plus overtime if applicable.
Section 4.2 Inspection fee
An inspection fee of $16.20 (after rebate) per quarter hour per inspector will apply, but not limited to the following activities:
- Sampling activities (non-bulk)
- In-office inspections
- Dry box inspections
- Ship inspections
- Verifying importing country requirements
- Additional activities associated with approved arrangements and registered establishments
- Supervision of treatments (where such treatments are a mandatory requirement of the importing country and require AQIS certification)
The following items will NOT be charged for separately, they are incorporated into the inspection fee:
- travel
- overnight stays
There is a first half hour minimum for each inspection. For example, for two inspectors the minimum inspection fee would be $32.40 ($16.20 + $16.20).
Chargeable time: The inspection fee will be charged when the authorised officer picks up the phone or arrives at the establishment until the authorised officer hangs up or leaves the establishment. There will be no separate charge for travel to a premise for inspection related activities.
Section 4.3 Tonnage charge
The bulk tonnage fee for consignments inspected by AQIS will be $0.12 per tonne (after rebate). The tonnage fee does not apply to approved arrangements.
The tonnage charge will apply to terminals that load at a rate equal to and greater than 400 metric tonnes per hour. Inspection of bulk grains at flow rates of 399 metric tonnes per hour or less will be charged at the quarter hourly inspection fee of $16.20 (after rebate). If the terminal is capable of loading at a rate equal to or greater than 400 metric tonnes per hour but decides to load at a slower rate, the quarter hour inspection fee of $16.20 will be charged.
Stoppages: If after the first 15 minutes of downtime loading has not recommenced, AQIS will consult the industry supervisor and ask them if they wish for AQIS inspectors/contractors to remain on site for loading to recommence. If AQIS inspectors/contractors are not stood down, the quarter hour inspection fee will apply from that point onwards. This applies to all stoppages including weather delays, breakdowns, changes in shift etc.
Section 4.4 Registered establishments
A fee of $252 (after rebate) will apply to parties who wish to register an establishment and or vary or renew a registered establishment. Registered establishments must be renewed annually. Renewal date will be the anniversary date that is currently recorded in the Establishment Register database. Registration renewal dates should remain the same, despite all of the auditing activity that has been done previously. The new registration and renewal charges are to be charged for activities from 1 December 2009 onwards. Regional offices are responsible for charging registered establishment fees as well as keeping track of associated activities such as renewal dates and number of allocated hours spent on each activity.
AQIS activities associated with registering, renewing and varying a registered establishment includes the cost of:
- assessing an application
- conducting site inspections
- auditing
- industry liaison
- travel
Section 4.5 Approved arrangements
The approved arrangement fee schedule recognises the types of approved arrangements and the associated costs in establishing, varying, or renewing an approved arrangement. Approved arrangements must be renewed annually. The fees encompass the costs associated with assessing an application, conducting site inspections, auditing, industry liaison, training, and travel at a regional level.
After the rebate, fees for approved arrangements are:
- $972.00 for sampling and inspection arrangement applications
- $810.00 for sampling approved arrangement applications
- $288.00 for dry box arrangement applications
Approved arrangements still incur the appropriate documentation charges as shown below. This applies for both manually and electronically issued documents.
Section 4.6 Documentation fees
The issuing of Grain and Seed Exports Program documentation has been streamlined to incorporate the time spent in issuing documentation into the relevant fee. No inspection fee will be charged for in-office documentation activities.
Regional offices are responsible for charging for all manually issued documentation. All documents that are issued electronically will be charged for by the National office.
AQIS activities that are included in the fees for documentation:
- Verifying the importing country requirement(s) - this may include liaising with the importing country’s National Plant Protection Organisation, Biosecurity Australia or AQIS national or regional offices
- Liaising with state departments of agriculture and/or accredited laboratories
- Liaising with the exporter or agent to clarify conditions and tests that may be required to support the certification
- Verifying that any supporting documentation provided by the exporter or agent meets the importing country requirements
- Maintaining internal systems and auditing to ensure phytosanitary statements comply with importing country requirements
- Issuing documentation
Phytosanitary certificates
All phytosanitary certificates issued will incur the appropriate document fee. After the rebate the fees are:
- Electronically issued (EXDOC) phytosanitary certificates - $39.00 per certificate
- Manually issued phytosanitary certificates (including re-export) - $51.00 per certificate
This includes phytosanitary certificates that are signed by an AQIS officer (manual signature) and phytosanitary certificates issued electronically through EXDOC (for both AQIS and approved arrangement inspected consignments).
Replacement certificates
Replacement certificates will cost $114.00 per certificate (after rebate). This fee applies for both reissued and replacement certificates.
- reissued phytosanitary certificate: refers to phytosanitary certificates that are reissued at an exporter or agent’s request. No changes are made to the certificate. The replacement endorsement is not printed on the certificate.
- replacement phytosanitary certificate: refers to phytosanitary certificates that are issued to replace an issued certificate and includes the replacement endorsement printed on the certificate. This involves the replacement of certification previously issued. The circumstances surrounding the request for replacement certification must be assessed on a case by case basis with considerations given as to why the original certificate has not been used. The replacement process is the most resource intensive of all certification services.
Export Permits
Export permits (EX028) are required for all prescribed grains. The thirteen prescribed grains are seeds or grains of any of the following kinds: barely, canola, chickpeas, dried field peas, faba beans, lentils, lupins, oats, sorghum, soybeans, split vetch, whole vetch and wheat.
Note: The export of split vetch is prohibited absolutely.
A fee of $42.00 (after rebate) per EX028 will apply when no phytosanitary certificate is required. The fee for an EX028, when issued together with a phytosanitary certificate is included in the applicable fee for the phytosanitary certificate. For example, a manually issued export permit will be included in the cost of a manually issued phytosanitary certificate.
Other Government certificates
Other government certificates (manual and electronic) will cost $42.00 per certificate (after rebate). This includes the following certificates:
- Radiation certificates
- Certificate as to condition
- Declaration as to certificate as to condition
- Ships hold inspection certificate
|
Certificate(s) required |
Charge |
Rebate |
Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Phytosanitary certificate (electronic) |
$65 |
$26 |
$39 |
|
Phytosanitary certificate (manual) |
$85 |
$34 |
$51 |
|
Export permit |
$70 |
$28 |
$42 |
|
Export permit + Phytosanitary certificate (electronic) |
$65 |
$26 |
$39 |
|
Export permit + Phytosanitary certificate (manual) |
$85 |
$34 |
$51 |
|
Export permit + Export permit |
$140 |
$56 |
$84 |
|
Certificate as to condition |
$70 |
$28 |
$42 |
|
Export permit + Certificate as to condition + Phytosanitary certificate (manual) |
$155 |
$20 |
$135 |
|
Certificate as to condition + Export permit |
$140 |
$56 |
$84 |
Section 4.7 Overtime
AQIS standard hours of operation are 0630 to 1830 on weekdays.
Any work performed within the span of hours 0630 to 1830 on weekdays as specified by the regional office, does not attract overtime charges unless a period of more than eight hours is worked at one client’s premise by an inspector. Regional offices set standard operating hours in accordance with resources and exporter requirements. Standard hours of operation are set to retain efficiencies in the program. Exporters requesting inspections outside of the standard operating hours are required to pay overtime. Full span of hours may be utilised as standard hours of operating by staggering start times of inspectors so that overtime is not paid during that time, where there is a demand and adequate FTE’s.
Some regions have special arrangements whereby the standard hours of operation commence and finish at different times to those specified above as the span of hours. This is essentially to facilitate export certification for exporter groups whose normal hours of work cannot fit in with AQIS's standard hours of operation.
The regional export managers should be consulted on circumstances where special arrangements apply. The same conditions for charging overtime will apply to these special arrangements however, the standard hours of operation will relate to the actual start and finish times applicable to the special arrangement.
Overtime Charges: Overtime charges are to apply to work performed on weekdays after 1830 and before 0630, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. In cases where the standard weekday hours of operation have been varied to meet local industry/AQIS needs, then the overtime will only apply to hours worked outside the amended hours of operation.
|
Overtime |
Unit |
Charge |
Rebate |
Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Time and half - continuous |
¼ hour |
12.00 |
4.80 |
7.20 |
|
Time and half - non-continuous |
minimum |
209.00 |
83.60 |
125.40 |
|
Double time - continuous |
¼ hour |
16.00 |
6.40 |
9.60 |
|
Double time - non-continuous |
minimum |
258.00 |
103.20 |
154.80 |
|
Double time and a half - continuous |
¼ hour |
20.00 |
8.00 |
12.00 |
|
Double time and a half - non-continuous |
minimum |
323.00 |
129.20 |
193.80 |
Continuous Rate: The continuous overtime fee applies to work that is performed immediately leading up to, or immediately following on from the standard hours of operation. (i.e. leading up to 0630 or following on from 1830) - or the amended hours of operation as described above.
Non-Continuous Rate: The non-continuous overtime fee applies to any work performed where the inspector is required to commence and complete duty prior to the standard hours of operation or leaves work at the completion of the standard hours of operation but is required to return to work at a later time (i.e. there is a clear break between duties where the inspector is deemed to be off duty).
- This rate also applies where the inspector is called out on weekends and public holidays.