Other contractors

It is important to make sure you have an orchard services agreement in place with the contractor you have chosen to carry out the work on your orchard. An orchard services agreement is a safeguard to ensure both parties understand what is required of them and agree on their respective responsibilities. This will help you cover your requirements under Zespri GAP and GRASP with minimal documentation.

To help you, New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) has developed an orchard services agreement template that should be tailored to fit your business needs. It is recommended both parties seek independent legal advice before signing any agreement to ensure the wording fits the circumstances of both parties.

The agreement should cover orchard policies and procedures while on site, a health and safety plan and a biosecurity plan, as detailed below.

Any non-CAV contractor will need to show you their health and safety plan, so we all know that everyone who works on your orchard is well looked after. This is covered in your orchard services agreement.

At a minimum, the plan will need:

• A health and safety policy
• A food safety policy
• Identification of business hazards and work environment hazard controls
• Accident reporting procedures.

An orchard sign-in system (electronic or non-electronic) for all workers lets you know who is on your orchard at any given time. The Orchard Health, Safety & Food Safety Acknowledgement Form will work.

All kiwifruit orchard contractors are a potential biosecurity hazard to your business. It’s the nature of their job; they’re constantly moving equipment, tools and machinery from orchard to orchard. In order to minimise that risk, everyone who provides on-orchard services must have a biosecurity plan in place.

As an industry, we have to make smart decisions to protect our crops. A biosecurity plan not only minimises the risk to your orchard, it also educates the workforce, teaches them good hygiene practices and builds awareness of hazards to look out for, so we keep our crop safe.

Your part is to make sure any contractor that does not hold a CAV, and comes onto your orchard, provides evidence they’ve completed a non-CAV contractor biosecurity plan. Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) has created a biosecurity plan template that your contractor can use.