Industry events
Keep track of events in the Australian vegetable industry using the AUSVEG calendar. If you have an event you’d like listed, use our contact form to get in touch.
Events listed in bold are part of the National Vegetable Extension Network (VegNET), a strategic levy investment project under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund which is communicating research and development information to Australian growers.
The Harmonised Australian Retailer Produce Scheme (HARPS) is a retailer-led scheme designed to assist compliance with food safety, legal and trade legislation for suppliers to the major grocery retailers in Australia. The scheme has now been running for 18 months, and over 900 businesses are now HARPS-approved.
Established with the goal of providing a more practical and comprehensive approach, HARPS has the ability to streamline the amount of work undertaken during the audit process. While the overall amount of time and resources saved will differ between businesses, for those currently audited to multiple schemes for multiple customers, transitioning to the use of one base scheme plus HARPS will mean a reduction in audit duration and potentially overall audit costs.
New information sessions have been announced to help increase industry understanding of the scheme:
These sessions will provide those who are already HARPS-approved with a refresher on the program and help those not currently involved with HARPS get an understanding about what it will mean for their business. They will cover essential details, including:
There will also be the opportunity to ask questions about HARPS.
Growers who can’t make it to one of those workshops can also refer to a new factsheet on HARPS which is designed to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the scheme. More information about HARPS can be found on the HARPS website.