Overview
New Tasmanian Regulations for Horticulture Produce are being drafted to help ensure the local produce we enjoy is safe to eat.
Phase 1 consultation finished in 2025. Phase 2 public consultation is now open from 18 June 2026 until 30 July 2026.
Key issues raised during Phase 1 consultation submissions have been considered and the draft regulations revised to better accommodate the different scales of production in Tasmania.
Implementation is planned for Quarter 4, 2026 and will include a 12-month transition period, with a focus on education to assist small producers in complying with the regulations.
Initial application fees will be waived for current producers applying for accreditation within the initial 4 months after implementation of the regulations.
What is the same from Phase 1?
The following intent for the Regulations remains unchanged:
the adoption of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Primary Production and Processing (PPP) Standards in Tasmania,
the establishment of new food safety schemes for berries, leafy greens, and melons – as already in place in Tasmania for meat, poultry, seed sprouts, eggs and seafood.
What is new in Phase 2?
Phase 1 feedback from stakeholders in 2025 has informed the revised draft Regulations.
The key changes include:
a proposed tiered accreditation and fee model,
the introduction of a 'notification' category,
exclusion of nursery stock from regulation.
Tiered accreditation model
Tiered accreditation in primary produce safety means a system where regulatory requirements vary based on the size or risk level of a primary production business.
Instead of applying uniform standards to all producers, a tiered system will allow lower-risk or smaller producers to meet simpler, less costly requirements.
The tiered system developed from Phase 1 feedback aims to manage potential primary produce safety while accommodating different scales of horticulture production in Tasmania.
The following categories are proposed by Biosecurity Tasmania:
Table 1 - draft tiered accreditation model explanatory table
Category
| Description
| Notification Requirement
| Food Safety Program
| Annual Fee*
| Audits
| Accreditation
| Other
|
Home horticulture activity
| For home use (non-commercial)
| Optional
| No
| No
| No
| No
| Does not include supply of horticulture produce to a produce business, food business, at a market or by way of retail or wholesale.
|
Notification (Berries)
| Any producer of berries only
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
| No
| Any production area size or scale of business. Includes GFSI-certified producers and processors.
|
Notification (Leafy vegetables and melons)
| Leafy vegetables and melon producers <1 ha
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
|
|
Accredited producer - Category 1
| Leafy vegetables and melon producers 1-5 ha OR <5 full-time horitculture produce handlers
| N/A
| Yes
| Small category:
175 fee units
| Yes
| Yes
| Small horticulture producer classification: (1-5 ha cultivated land or <5 full-time horticulture produce handlers)
|
Accredited producer - Category 2
| Leafy vegetables and melon producers >5ha OR 5+ FTE (full time equivalent) horticultural produce handlers
| N/A
| Yes | Medium category: 350 fee units Large category: 750 fee units
| Yes
| Yes
| Medium horticulture producer classification: (5-10 ha or 5-50 FTE)
Large horticulture producer classification: (>10 ha or 51+ FTE)
|
Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-certified business
| Leafy vegetables and melons only
| N/A
| Yes
(can be through a certified body)
| Small, medium and large categories: Based on cultivated area or FTE (See above)
| Yes
(can be through a certified body)
| Yes
| No additional regulatory audits or audit fees.
|
* Fee amounts are based on a fee unit of $1.96 (FY 2026/27). The value of fee units is set by the Fee Units Act 1997. All fees are subject to legislated annual increases for CPI.
Fee scale
Fees for Accredited Producers (Category 1 & Category 2) and GFSI-certified businesses (see Table 1, above) will consist of:
Fees will be waived for current producers applying for accreditation within the initial 4 months after implementation of the regulations.
The accreditation fees are provided in Schedule 1 of the Regulations:
Table 2 - Proposed fee units from Schedule 1 of draft Regulations
Category
| Fee units*
|
Application for Accreditation
| 350
|
Application for Variation of Accreditation
| 250 - 300
|
Application for Transfer of Accreditation
| 300
|
* Fee amounts are based on a fee unit of $1.96 (FY 2026/27). The value of fee units are set by the Fee Units Act 1997. All fees are subject to legislated annual increases for CPI.
Annual fees
The annual fees are provided in Table 1.
Horticulture produce businesses involving production (including processing) of leafy vegetables and melons have fees calculated based on cultivated area of leafy vegetables and melons.
Horticulture produce businesses involving processing only of leafy vegetables and melons have fees calculated based on horticulture produce handlers FTE.
There are no annual fees for:
Home horticulture activity: non-commercial home use
Berry growers: any production area size, as long as grow berries only
Leafy vegetables and melon producers: less than 1ha
How do I provide feedback on the revised draft Regulations?
Have Your Say here: Have Your Say on the development of Primary Produce Safety (Horticulture Produce) Regulations 2026 - Phase 2
More information:
For more information, visit our Supporting Information and FAQ pages.
You can also download a cut-down two-page version of this guide here:
Primary Produce Safety (Horticultural Produce) Regulations 2026 - At a Glance Phase 2 (PDF 157Kb)