AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ACT 1929
Plum Grading and Packing Code 1992
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ACT 1929
Plum Grading and Packing Code 1992
Western Australia
Plum Grading and Packing Code 1992
Contents
Part 1 — Preliminary
1.Citation2
2.Commencement2
3.Interpretation2
4.Application3
Part 2 — Grading
5.Grading into classes4
6.Minimum requirements4
7.Maturity4
8.Classes4
9.Determination of size for grading5
Part 3 — Packing
10.Single variety6
11.Mixture of plums by class6
12.Size variations6
13.Tolerances6
14.Uniformity of plums within packages7
15.Presentation of plums7
16.Packaging materials8
Part 4 — Marking
17.Packages marked “Unclassed”9
18.Complete trade description to be applied9
19.Information to be included in trade description9
20.Trade description for retail sale11
21.Prohibited quality descriptions12
Part 5 — Repeal
22.Repeal of former code13
Notes
Compilation table14
Western Australia
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ACT 1929
Plum Grading and Packing Code 1992
Made by the Minister for Agriculture under sectin 3F.
This Code may be cited as the Plum Grading and Packing Code 1992.
This Code shall come into operation on the day of its publication in the Government Gazette.
In this Code, unless the contrary intention appears —
“abnormal external moisture” means distinctly wet (but does not include condensation following release from cold storage);
“blemish” means any superficial disfigurement of the skin that is not likely to affect the keeping quality of the plum, and includes slight chemical burns and healed injury such as by insect damage, superficial hail damage, abrasions, scratches and rubs, but does not include sunburn;
“class” means the quality class into which plums are graded;
“clean” means visibly free from any dirt, dust, chemical residue or other foreign matter;
“defect” means any abnormal development of shape, colour or condition that detracts from the quality, general appearance or presentation of the plum;
“intact” means practically free from any mutilation or injury spoiling the plum;
“mature” means having reached the stage of development that will ensure a proper completion of the ripening process;
“processing” means any operation that subjects the plums to thermal processing (not including cold storage) or juicing or that renders the plums a fruit product;
“sound” means not over-ripe, soft or wilted, and free from rot, excessive bruising and physical injury, internal or external, that is likely to affect the keeping quality of the plum; and
“well-filled” means that the package is filled to the extent that the plums, after settling, cannot move within the package during normal handling.
(1)Subject to section 5 of the Act, this Code applies to the sale of plums (Prunus domestica, P. instititia and P. salicina) other than for the purpose of processing.
(2)Clauses 18 and 19 do not apply to a retail sale.
Plums may be graded as —
(a)Extra Class;
(b)Class 1;
(c)Class 2; or
(d)Class 3,
if they comply with the requirements for the relevant class as prescribed by this Part.
Plums in all classes other than Class 3 shall be —
(a)intact;
(b)sound;
(c)clean;
(d)practically free from sunburn;
(e)free from abnormal external moisture;
(f)free from any foreign smell or taste; and
(g)of a minimum size, according to variety, as specified in the Table to clause 12.
(1)Plums shall be mature.
(2)Plums of the variety Prune D’Agen shall have a minimum maturity level of 20 o Brix.
(1)Subject to Part 3, plums graded as Extra Class shall be —
(a)well-formed and typical of the variety;
(b)practically free from defects and blemishes, other than very slight blemishes; and
(c)free from damage caused by pests and diseases.
(2)Subject to Part 3, plums graded as Class 1 shall be —
(a)reasonably well-formed and typical of the variety;
(b)reasonably free from defects and blemishes, other than very slight blemishes; and
(c)reasonably free from damage caused by pests and diseases.
(3)Subject to Part 3, Class 2 shall comprise plums that are not suitable for Extra Class or Class 1, but satisfy the minimum requirements as specified in clause 6 and may have —
(a)reasonable defects in shape, development and colouring, subject to the plum retaining its general characteristics;
(b)skin blemishes that do not exceed one quarter of the whole surface of the plum and do not impair unduly the general appearance and presentation of the plum.
(4)Class 3 shall comprise plums that do not satisfy the requirements of any of the other classes.
9.Determination of size for grading
The size of a plum for grading purposes shall be measured by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section of the plum.
A package of plums shall not contain plums of any variety other than the variety marked on the package.
A package of plums may contain plums of mixed classes, other than Class 3.
(1)Extra Class and Class 1 plums shall be graded according to size.
(2)Plums in a package marked “UNCLASSED” are not required to be sized.
(3)The size of Class 2 plums packed in containers marked “UNSIZED” may vary without limit.
TABLE
|
|
|
Minimum size (millimetres) |
|
|
Item |
Variety |
Extra Class and Class 1 |
Class 2 |
|
1 |
Narrabeen |
50 |
55 |
|
2 |
Wickson Creswell Mariposa Elephant Heart |
45 |
50 |
|
3 |
Prune D’Agen |
32 |
32 |
|
4 |
All other varieties (other than Wilson and Cherry Plum) |
40 |
40 |
A package of plums may contain —
(a)in the case of Extra Class plums, a maximum of 5 per cent by number or net mass of plums not satisfying the requirements of that class but satisfying the requirements of Class 1;
(b)in the case of Class 1 plums, a maximum of 10 per cent by number or net mass of plums not satisfying the requirements of that class but satisfying the requirements of Class 2;
(c)in respect of size for Extra Class and Class 1 plums, a maximum of 10 per cent by number or net mass of plums not more than 2 millimetres greater or less than the size or size range marked on the package;
(d)in the case of Class 1 and Class 2 plums, not more than 10 per cent by number of plums affected by hail damage, subject to —
(i)the damage being superficial and the skin being unbroken;
(ii)individual hail marks not exceeding 3 millimetres in diameter; and
(iii)the aggregate affected area on any plum not exceeding 6 millimetres in diameter;
(e)plums that have a damaged or missing stalk, if there is no risk of the plums rotting.
14.Uniformity of plums within packages
The contents of each package of —
(a)Extra Class plums shall be uniform in shape and colour;
(b)Class 1 plums shall be practically uniform in shape and colour; and
(c)Class 2 plums shall be reasonably uniform in shape and colour.
(1)Each package shall be well-filled and packed in a manner that allows the plums to withstand handling and transport.
(2)Subject to this Part and Part 2, each package shall contain only plums of the same variety, strain, quality and degree of ripeness.
(3)Any plums packed in a package that are visible shall be representative of the contents of the package.
(4)Packages containing plums shall be free from extraneous plant material such as leaves and spurs.
(1)Packages into which any plums are packed shall be —
(a)clean;
(b)free from all foreign matter; and
(c)of a quality, design and construction suitable for protecting the plums from damage.
(2)Materials used inside packages shall be new.
17.Packages marked “Unclassed”
A package containing plums of mixed classes as permitted by clause 11 shall be marked “UNCLASSED”.
18.Complete trade description to be applied
(1)The complete trade description shall —
(a)be applied —
(i)on new rigid type packages, to at least one end of each package;
(ii)on packages intended for re-use (wooden cases, plastic crates, wooden or fibreboard bulk bins and wire sided bulk bins), on a label or ticket at least 100 mm x 70 mm, securely affixed to one side of the package;
and
(b)be in prominent, indelible and legible characters at least 5 millimetres high.
(2)Before a marking is applied to a package intended for re-use, all particulars relating to previous use of the package shall be removed or obliterated.
(3)A marking inside a package shall be made with a non-toxic ink or glue.
19.Information to be included in trade description
Subject to Part 3, the trade description shall contain —
(a)the name and address of the person who packed the plums;
(b)the word “plum” or “plums”;
(c)the full name of the variety of the plum contained in the package or the abbreviation of that name as shown in the second column of the Table to this clause;
(d)the class of the plums;
(e)the size, size range or count of the plums; and
(f)in the case of —
(i)a package of Class 2 plums that have not been sized; or
(ii)a package marked “UNCLASSED” containing plums that have not been sized,
the word “UNSIZED”.
TABLE
|
VARIETY |
ABBREVIATION |
|
Angelina Burdett |
Ang |
|
Beauty |
Bty |
|
Black Amber |
B Amber |
|
Blue Diamond |
B Dia |
|
Casselman |
Cass |
|
Coe’s Golden Drop |
Coe’s GD |
|
Coe’s Golden Gage |
CGG |
|
Creswell |
Cred |
|
Deleware |
Del |
|
Early Blaze |
E Blaze |
|
Elephant Heart |
E jeard |
|
Elizabeths |
Eliz |
|
Grand Duke |
G Duke |
|
Green Gage |
Gr G |
|
Gulf Ruby |
G Ruby |
|
Harry Pickstone |
Harry P |
|
Jefferson |
Jeff |
|
Kelsey |
Kelsey |
|
Laroda |
Laroda |
|
Mariposa |
Mari |
|
Narrabeen |
Narra |
|
October Purple |
Oct |
|
Pickering |
Pick |
|
President |
Pres |
|
Prune D’Agen |
D’Agem |
|
Radiance |
Rad |
|
Red Beaut |
R Beaut |
|
Reine Claude De Barray |
RCL |
|
Ruby Blood |
R Bl |
|
Salad |
Salad |
|
Santa Rosa |
S Rosa |
|
Satsuma |
Sat |
|
Shiro |
Shiro |
|
Simka |
Simka |
|
Stirling |
Stirling |
|
Skipper |
Skip |
|
Wickson |
Wick |
|
Wilson |
Wil |
|
Wilson Seedling |
Wills |
|
8-1 |
8-1 |
|
All other varieties |
Full name |
20.Trade description for retail sale
(1)A label showing the class of the plums shall be attached to each display of plums offered for retail sale and if the label specifies a variety of plum the plums displayed shall correspond to the variety so specified.
(2)If a display includes a mixture of varieties, the label shall show the full names of the individual varieties within the mixture.
(3)The marking on the label shall be in prominent, legible characters at least 25 millimetres high.
21.Prohibited quality descriptions
Plums shall not be designated as “special”, “specially packed”, “selected”, “fancy” or by any other word or form of words that indicates that the plums have special quality characteristics.
The Plum Grading and Packing Code 1983* is repealed.
[*Published in the Gazette on 23 September 1983 at pp.3875‑76.]
1.This is a compilation of the Plum Grading and Packing Code 1992 and includes the amendments referred to in the following Table.
|
Citation |
Gazettal |
Commencement |
|
Plum Grading and Packing Code 1992 |
11 Sep 1992 p. 4581-7 |
11 Sep 1992 |
|
This Code was repealed by the Repeal of Grading and Packing Codes Notice 2001 as at 24 Aug 2001 (see Gazette 24 Aug 2001 p. 4575) |
||