A tour designed to contrast high technology greenhouse production in The Netherlands with low technology production in southern Spain was led by Dr Kaye Ferguson, Senior Research Officer and Mrs Barbara Hall, Senior Research Scientist with SARDI. The tour was funded by voluntary contributions matched by Horticulture Australia Limited. The Netherlands is a world leader in hydroponics and production is primarily in high technology greenhouses. In addition, the majority of the seed companies that supply Australia conduct breeding and disease resistance research in The Netherlands and offer diagnostic services to their customers worldwide. Southern Spain is comparable to many of the Australian greenhouse growing regions, particularly South Australia, in terms of climate, crops grown, property size, pest and disease issues and the grower demographic. However, growing systems and technology around Almeria, Alicante and Murcia, even though simple, are in many ways more advanced than in Australia, particularly South Australia. The trip provided an invaluable opportunity for Australian growers, SARDI researchers and other participants to talk face to face with growers overseas and to learn from the successes and failures of an industry that mirrors our own. The trip also included a visit to a pathology centre of a seed company, a greenhouse research institute and a private diagnostic laboratory to meet with researchers in plant pathology and hydroponic technology. Participants were also shown potential biosecurity threats to the Australian vegetable industry and saw first hand the devastation caused by these threats to encourage them to be vigilant on their own properties. Existing links with industry personnel and researchers overseas were strengthened and new contacts made in The Netherlands and Spain. The knowledge gained during this tour will contribute significantly to improving the sustainability of individual growers and the protected cropping industry as a whole through the adoption of new technologies and techniques to improve productivity and efficiency. The tour ran from 18 September to 3 October 2010 and participants included growers, researchers and industry personnel.