AvoGreen® Grower
The critical step is for a grower to undertake to have their orchard monitored and to have developed a Sample Plan (or Plans) for the orchard. They do not have to register unless they intend to become an Owner-Operator or a Monitor.
The Grower needs to choose how the orchard will be monitored:
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EITHER by contracting an accredited Operator to monitor your orchard,
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OR by becoming an Owner-Operator to monitor your own orchard.
1. Having an accredited Operator monitor your orchard
As a grower you enter into a contractual agreement with an approved Operator to undertake monitoring on your behalf. This signed agreement forms the basis for determining if the orchard is AvoGreen® compliant, and must specify:
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Whether the orchard is to be monitored as one or more Sample Areas;
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An agreed frequency or schedule of monitoring;
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The number of trees to be monitored;
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Whether scale is to be monitored or not;
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A traceable start date for the commencement of monitoring; and
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Whether a monitoring round can be terminated once the threshold of the target pest is exceeded.
These details should be reviewed annually and together form the Sample Plan. If an orchard is covered by more than one Sample Plan, the areas under each Plan work as separate and independent units.
Your operator will provide monitoring results that note whether or not any action threshold has been exceeded. If a threshold has been exceeded, you as the grower remain responsible for the final decision whether to spray or not, and on the choice of spray material. You can delegate this responsibility provided you do it in writing.
If a threshold is exceeded but the grower believes the pest is localised, they may chose to spray only part of the relevant Sample Area. They can always chose not to spray even if the threshold has been exceeded
2. Becoming an Owner – Operator
An Owner-Operator undertakes monitoring on an orchard they own or manage. (See AvoGreen® Owner/Operator.)
Having decided to become an Owner-Operator, the first step is to register with the AIC. If the role of Monitor is being delegated to a permanent employee, the Owner or Manager registers as the Owner-Operator and specifies who the Monitor will be. If the Monitor changes, the AIC must be informed within 10 working days.
Now the Monitor needs to become accredited, and a Sample Plan developed for monitoring the orchard. The Sample Plan is part of having a documented system for auditing, and a system template is provided to assist Owner-Operators achieve this simply (coming soon).
A group of up to 5 small orchards in the one locality may join together to become a single Sample Area provided they are sufficiently similar in tree size and management and have a combined total productive area of less than 5 hectares. This provision is to allow small, potentially uneconomic units to combine for monitoring. They can then contract for monitoring with an Operator or a local Owner-Operator, who may be one of themselves. As a guide, orchards within 1 km of a central point could be considered for combining. At least 1 tree must be sampled on each orchard in each round.
