Late last year, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) had proposed 1 July 2020 to introduce increased export certification costs for the horticulture industry.

However, the implementation has now been shelved as the Federal Government is focusing on COVID-19 and the current charges for Phytosanitary Certificates, Audits and Inspections will remain unchanged.

There was further industry consultation planned for March 2020 that was unable to proceed due to COVID-19 restrictions, which contributed to DAWE’s decision to postpone the implementation indefinitely.

This is a great outcome for the horticulture industry especially during COVID-19 as international border restrictions have caused major international trade disruptions to Australian businesses.

With the implementation being put on-hold indefinitely, Australian vegetable grower-exporters can continue to focus their attention on maintaining current export trade without additional cost pressure.

If you would like to discuss these changes further, please contact Michael Coote on 03 9882 0277 or at michael.coote@ausveg.com.au.