AUSVEG CEO James Whiteside appeared in print and online media this week commenting in labour issues in Australian horticulture in an editorial for The Weekly Times. Mr Whiteside acknowledged the importance of foreign workers to Australian horticulture and highlighted the fact that the vast majority of Australian growers treat their workers fairly and with respect. The full editorial is available online.

Mr Whiteside also appeared in online news stories on the issue, stating that while Australian vegetable growers prefer to employ local workers, the reality is that industry members often need to hire foreign workers to compensate for local workers often being unwilling to work on farms or being unreliable sources of labour. You can read more in the full story.

As well as these comments on labour, Mr Whiteside also gave comment for a story about horticulture commodities that are performing strongly with consumers, noting that broccoli’s increasing position in the domestic market is complemented by its popularity in export markets like Singapore. Click through to read the full story.

This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 20 March 2018.