Code of practice

The AFIA (Australian Fodder Industry Association Inc) aims to assist fodder producers to enhance their product and on-farm management for the benefit of their clients. This Code and compliance certificate can apply to all brokers/traders as well.

With the move to more on-farm QA, the AFIA is helping farmers meet the dairy industry QA programs with a Product Code of Practice.

This Code of Practice is a free service to AFIA members and involves an annual declaration by the fodder producer/supplier, certifying that conditions of product safety and quality have been met. This form will obligate the supplier to abide by the Product Code of Practice. The details of the Code have been addressed in the AFIA newsletter of December 1999. An audited HACCAP-based program will follow this non-audited Code.

Once signed, this statement should be sent to the AFIA Secretariat for filing. AFIA will mail a certificate in return. Buyers will be able to call the Secretariat to check if particular suppliers are entitled to claim compliance. If members abide by this program, members will be entitled to use the term "Quality compliant to AFIA Product Code of Practice" when marketing their hay and silage.

The Product Code of Practice requires sellers of hay and silage to:

• Test all fodder marketed (CP, ME and DMD as a minimum)
• Test all the fodder in a laboratory operating within the standardised procedures of the AFIA (currently all commercial Australian fodder labs are eligible)
• Sell all fodder by weight rather than by the bale
• Supply a vendor declaration forms with each lot of fodder
• Sample all fodder marketed in accordance with the sampling protocol (outlined above)
• Apply any chemicals to the crop during production in accordance with the respective label and comply with any withholding periods.

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