Trusted Agrifood Exports

[00:00 – 00:04: map of Australia featuring icons of different agrifood products]

Australian farmers produce premium, quality food.

[00:05 – 00:08: Farmer picking red apple from tree]

Take our apples, for example.

[00:09 – 00:13: Trees change from green to different shades of orange]

Australian apples come in many varieties and are picked from February to May to be exported to different markets.

[00:14 – 00:20 Rows of apples on grocery shelves depicting different prices, zooms to close up of an apple with an Australian label on it]

But, it’s estimated there are around 7500 apple varieties around the world.

[00:20 – 00:25 - Apples drop into a box that says ‘apples export’ with an Australian label on it]

So how do we make our apples stand out? That’s where CSIRO’s role in the Trusted Agrifood Exports Mission comes in.

[00:26 – 00:31 – The box lid closes and many more export boxes drop into rows. Lights turn on putting the boxes under spotlight.]

The mission is focused on making export market access and trade easier for apples, and Australia’s agriculture and food industry as a whole.

[00:32 – 00:36  Standing in-front of the boxes for export, an auditor checks off list on a tablet device.]

To negotiate market access we need scientific evidence to show that our apples are safe and pest and disease free.

[00:46 – 00:53 – green check marks appear on each box]

So, technologies are being developed to provide stronger evidence for how Australia’s apple industry manages biosecurity.

[00:54 – 1:02 –  A spinning globe enters the screen, with boxes appearing to be moved from one country to another, the words ‘safety, quality, environmental, biosecurity’ appear next to the globe]

The Australian food brand is highly regarded because we have strong regulations around safety, quality, environmental and biosecurity standards.

[01:03 – 01:08 – Dollar signs appear on spinning globe]

But these impose costs that limit our competitiveness.

[01:09 – 01:17] Screen changes to scene with boxes on conveyor belt, with a person monitoring them via a screen and touchpad]

To streamline the process, new digital platforms will automate critical compliance checks using verified real time data.

[01:18 – 01:24: close up of box being scanned. As box is scanned, it becomes transparent revealing the apples and icons depicting that no fruit flies are detected in the package]

This includes embedding artificial intelligence tools into optical scanners to check the fruit and provide assurance that apples are pest free.

[01:25 – 01:32:  moves to box on a conveyor belt. Hand holding a device scans box QR code]

[01:33 - 01:39:  vision changes to close up map of east coast of Australia with an apple tree and icon depicting information and charts about the apple]

Despite the complexity of the supply chain, data can be checked at any point, and by using the apple itself, we will be able to compare against regional fingerprints, so that anyone can validate where and how it was grown.

[01:43 – 01:49: Scene returns to close up of apples in a grocery aisle, priced at $4.99. A hand reaches and picks up one of the apples]

This provides assurance that labels and digital information systems are accurate and gives consumers greater trust in the product.

[01:50 - 01:56: Person holding apple takes a bite and chews.

With our partners at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Meat & Livestock Australia, the Trusted Agrifood Exports Mission is improving market access, streamlining compliance and enabling verifiable products to increase the value of all of Australia’s food exports, not just apples.

[01:57 – 02:17: Person places the bitten apple on a plate on a dinner table. Screen shot pans out and a plate of bananas, bowl of porridge, plate of steak and wine and glasses appear on the table.]

That’s a great thing for Australia’s agriculture and food industry, regulators and economy. 

[02:18 – 02:22: CSIRO logo and text ‘Australia’s national science agency’ appear on screen]