Agriculture Victoria horticulture standards engagement officer Emily Scott said the new rules would help lift food safety standards across the industry.
“We are working closely with industry bodies and growers to support businesses implementing the new standards with a timely awareness and engagement campaign,” Ms Scott said.
“Current food safety arrangements are recognised where possible, and our online system assists in documenting and verifying requirements.
“The standards apply to businesses of any size that grow or complete primary or ‘early-stage’ processing such as washing, trimming, sorting, sanitising or storing of berries, leafy vegetables or melons.”
She said many businesses were already meeting the requirements in the standards, through their participation in industry food safety schemes.
However, there will be new registration requirements, which are managed through Agriculture Victoria Connect.
“If you grow leafy greens, melons or berries in Victoria, I encourage you to visit the Agriculture Victoria website to learn more about the implementation of the Standards across Victoria, and to sign up for the Food Safety Standards e-news and keep up to date with upcoming events,” Ms Scott said.
AgVic will hold a webinar on Tuesday, December 10 for berry, leafy vegetable and melon producers to learn more about the new Primary Production and Processing Standards.
The webinar will cover key microbial food safety risks, what is required to comply with the standards for each industry, how Global Food Safety Initiative schemes will be recognised, indicative costs and where to access useful information and resources. Growers of all sizes are encouraged to attend.
For more information, visit: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/food-safety/food-safety-for-horticulture-producers and https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/support-and-resources/agriculture-victoria-connect
Register for the Horticulture Standards webinar at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t7nLkghQR4e8qnuNFyjD4g#/registration
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