The agriculture industry are tackling farming workplace compliance and exploitation in horticulture head on.
Fair Farms was officially launched this week in Melbourne at the national horticulture convention, Hort Connections.
The independent third-party auditor was developed by Growcom, the peak representative body for Queensland horticulture, is a workplace training and certification program for employers in the Australian horticulture industry
Fair Farms Manager, Thomas Hertel said the program had been developed by industry, for industry.
"The program will support all members of the Australian horticultural supply chain with tools, information and training to implement employment practices that comply with existing labour laws and ethical standards," Mr Hertel said.
"We want to work with the retailers and others fresh produce buyers on this, who can reward good practices through their buying decisions and create consumer awareness."
Teaming up with retailers
The Fair Farms program has already received support from supermarket chains Aldi and Woolworths, who accept suppliers choosing Fair Farms as their ethical audit program.
Woolworths Head of Produce, Paul Turner said the supermarket was pleased to work closely with Growcom on the development of the Fair Farms program.
"We're committed to being a responsible retailer and a big part of this is working with industry to uphold the rights of workers in our horticultural supply chains," Mr Turner said.
The first Fair Farms certified grower
A highlight of the Fair Farms launch was the announcement of the first Fair Farms certified grower, Mary-Jane and Cam Turner from Riverdale Herbs in Queensland.
"As an employer it was important for us to be able to distinguish our business from those that don't employ ethically," Ms Turner said.
"We chose Fair Farms as our ethical audit program because it was developed by Growcom. They have been supportive of us as a grower and the wider horticulture industry for many years and we had faith that the Fair Farms Standard would be a true reflection on a grower's needs and requirements.
"Going through the assessment and audit process was a valuable exercise. It has allowed us to review our business documents, modernise our systems, and consolidate our records."
For more information on the program visit the Fair Farms website: www.fairfarms.com.au
