According to latest reports, Australian growers and packers are extremely worried about hiring Pacific Islander seasonal workers. This is mainly done to help fill the labour shortage that has occurred due to the global pandemic. However, the law has now specified that these growers need to be placed in quarantine, adding to the costs of […]

Forecasts show that there is no short term end for Australia’s horticulture labour shortages. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) says while the horticulture industry will suffer significantly from labour shortage, there are some opportunities from high domestic demand. A senior industry economist at ABARES, Charley Xia, told this week’s Outlook […]

Due to COVID 19, restrictions were imposed on the usual gathering of backpackers and all of the overseas workers. As a result of this unfortunate pandemic, many farm owners were left in the lurch as their stone fruit was left to rot. In fact, many growers were also thinking of giving up on the industry. […]

In a great decision, Australian farmers, manufacturers and producers will now be permitted to apply for financial support and grants from the Coles Nature Fund in order to increase their innovative abilities and prosper in their business. Businesses with innovative ideas, fewer than 50 full-time employees and turnover of less than $25 million in annual […]

The ongoing pandemic and the shortage of seasonal workers and backpackers that are arriving in Australia has created a labour shortage for a great deal of Australian horticulture growers. This market is heavily dependent on casual and seasonal labour. Moreover, this is a representation of the majority of the workforce in the Australian horticultural world. […]

In today’s times, there are a lot of negative speculations around the salaries and conditions for horticultural workers. Hence, a great amount of attention is paid to the piecework provisions of the Horticulture Award. It has to be acknowledged that wages based on productivity have always been a part of the horticultural world. Even though […]

Growing Methods The berry growing apparatus between the two countries is quite similar. This is especially true in the region of Tasmania. Moreover, this is mainly due to tunnels. However, it should not be ignored that both regions have different climates. When it comes to strawberries, there are two recognizable growing seasons in Australia. This […]

In a historic agreement, both Victoria and Tasmania have agreed to let seasonal workers return to the farm so that the work goes on uninterrupted. This will in turn not hamper the Tasmanian seasonal worker program. Moreover, this also takes care of the fact that many more Australians can return home from other foreign lands. […]

In favourable news for New Zealand, around 2,000 Pacific workers are arriving in New Zealand. This will be considered as the first of Samoa’s 780 strong workers that are linked to the Recognised Seasonal Employment Scheme. Moreover, this group of workers have successfully landed in Auckland this week. Nevertheless, the rest of the group are […]

Due to the labour shortage situation, a Victorian table grapes producer is forced to admit that the upcoming season may be tumultuous due to the weather change and labour shortage. However, due to the great demand, there are hoards of opportunities that are present. Orchard Tech has decided to keep supplying the table groups to […]