AUSVEG, the peak industry body for Australia’s vegetable industry, has long warned of the impact on the vegetable industry of the increasing compliance burden, to the point that is now one of the major reasons for growers considering exiting the sector.

However, what is compliance and regulation in horticulture, what are the impacts on farm businesses, and what can be done to reduce the burden?

AUSVEG has commissioned Corporate Value Associates (CVA) to undertake an independent and comprehensive White Paper, Horticulture Compliance and Regulation: Reducing the Burden by 2030, to map out an efficient and streamlined regulatory future for the industry. The White Paper will propose short- and longer-term solutions to reduce duplication, streamline processes, prioritise risk-based compliance, and increase efficiencies.

In AUSVEG’s most recent Industry Sentiment Survey conducted in January 2025, over 30 percent of respondents indicated they were seriously considering exiting the industry in the next 12 months, and the increasing regulation and compliance requirements, alongside escalating input costs and poor price returns, were confirmed as the main reasons.

Compliance and regulation does not just include local, state and federal government legislation but a suite of other requirements imposed by service providers, supply chain businesses, industry codes of conduct, and local regulatory bodies.

Further, AUSVEG is seeking to analyse what the true cost of compliance is, with the White Paper investigating all aspects of compliance costs including training costs, human resources, implementation costs, audit costs and associated fees and charges such as licences and certificates.

With the vegetable sector producing 98% of fresh vegetables consumed in Australia every year its viability is critical to national food security, and for thriving regional communities. AUSVEG is calling on governments and other stakeholders to engage with industry and adopt the White Paper’s forthcoming recommendations, which will deliver the reform growers need.

AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote said, “For serious reform to occur we need to move on from anecdotal evidence to data driven, research-based analytics. We need to understand what constitutes the compliance burden in horticulture, how much is it costing, and what practical actions can be taken to reduce or simplify the burden. This significant body of work is groundbreaking, and will provide a robust agenda for necessary compliance reform in the coming years”.

“Vegetable growers accept that certain regulations are necessary to protect consumers, employees and themselves. But the ever-increasing volume, duplication, cost and complexity of compliance is becoming a significant burden, and is often not commensurate with the risks, the cost, or the benefits.

“The lack of standardisation between regulatory bodies, and the inconsistent enforcement standards often means growers have to meet multiple overlapping compliance and audit frameworks and systems which could often be covered by a single activity.”

“The need for reform is urgent if we want to arrest the decline in vegetable growers exiting the sector, as more growers consider selling or switching out of vegetables because it is just too hard to keep going,” said Mr Coote.

“It is time for smarter, not more, regulation. Let growers get back to growing food – not filling in forms,” said Mr Coote.

The report is due to be released in the second half of 2025.