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At the time of writing, the DOA (Department of Agriculture) and/or the PPECB (Perishable Products Export Control Board) had not yet finalised the requirements for the certification of refrigerated vehicles. This unfortunate state of affairs lingers on and does little to ensure the standard of refrigerated vehicles on our roads, especially now that the demand for such equipment is at an all time high. Hopefully when the DOA gets around to appointing a new CEO at the PPECB, the industry can look forward to some progress in furthering this important matter that otherwise is bound to adversely affect the country's perishable product exports.
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Progress is being made with better packaging that facilitates improved airflows. This is being achieved with access through all six sides. There are positive reports on current fridge technology making a contribution to improved fruit temperature and good general feedback on the performance of road transport. Some PPECB studies are focusing on pre-cooling facilities and set point is likely to drop from 3C to 2C to further improve fruit temperature before transporting.
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The introduction of horizontal air flow in export containers is also proving to be beneficial. PPECB's Dr Malcolm Dodd says more work needs to be done to integrate technology with the objective of optimising air flow in terms of packaging, pallets and the environment - in other words the free movement of cool air. "New initiatives are needed to meet these challenges," says Dr Dodd. Renowned refrigerated transporters such as Kobus Minaar are disappointed that fruit farmers fail to see the benefits of air flow ducting, most of which has now been ripped out in favour of high cube pallets.
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While legislators get
their ‘ducks in a row’ on reefer certification requirements,
it’s business as usual at the loading docks
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