Primary Products Assurance and Inspection Officers nec

Highly relevant tasks include, but are not limited to: 

• Inspecting animals, plants and agricultural produce to identify product quality issues, and providing advice to producers
• Auditing and monitoring quality procedures at farms and food handling and processing facilities to ensure compliance with required standards 
• Testing samples of produce for quality, size and purity.

Additional tasks may include: 

• Ensuring that required standards of hygiene and other food safety elements are observed at storage, processing and packing facilities and in transport vehicles 
• Advising primary producers on economic aspects of disease eradication and informing producers and the general public of the health implications of diseases and impurities 
• Advising on the identification of pests and diseases and on regulations pertaining to grading, packing and loading of products
• May initiate or assist in legal action to enforce regulations, appear in court to give evidence in cases involving breaches of the regulations (Government regulatory roles) 
• Checking and grading produce, such as fruit, vegetables, milk, grains, sugar cane, nuts, pulses and more, during processing and making sure that ingredients used in processing meet government standards of purity and grading.

A Primary Product Inspector is often employed by government and industry regulatory authorities. In some cases they may be employed directly within a larger supplier and producer or along the product supply chain. The core function of the role should be in inspecting, assessing and grading produce for government, industry and public health requirements.

Specialisation 

Fruit and Vegetable Inspector 

The Primary Product Inspector would work closely with the farm hand and/or picker, about what is being done to the product, for example, chemical usage, product handling, essentially where the product has come from, before making an informed decision about whether the product is safe and meets the specific requirements of the buyer and is ready for distribution. If working in Australia, they should have undertaken or at a minimum have strong knowledge of HACCP, Food Standards Codes and/or HARPS and Freshcare requirements. 

Specialisation 

Dairy Quality Assurance Officer 

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), under its Standard 4.2.4, requires all dairy farms to have a documented on-farm food safety program. All dairy manufacturers and processors must also have a documented food safety program.

Dairy farms must implement a HACCP-based Quality Assurance Program to ensure:  

• They gain a licence to operate from their State Dairy Food Safety Authority, and 
• Their milk is accepted by their manufacturer. Regular auditing ensures dairy farmers assess food safety risks and have strategies in place to deal with the risks (includes full traceability up and down the input chain)

When applying for a Skills Assessment, please ensure you submit sufficient evidence supporting your proof of identity, qualification and employment claims. A full list of the documents required can be found on the VETASSESS website under Eligibility Criteria. Applicants should provide a cover letter that justifies their rationale for choosing an ‘nec’ category. While the VETASSESS Skills Assessment for migration purposes is distinct from an assessment for licensing or registration purposes, applicants are advised to provide copies of relevant licences (including from overseas) if held.