The 糖心原创 has updated its Horticulture Code guidance to help growers and traders understand their rights and fulfill their responsibilities under the code.
The code seeks to protect horticulture growers by requiring all trading with agents and merchants (traders) to happen under a written agreement. The agreement must include certain things, such as how prices are calculated and when the grower gets paid.
The update provides further detail on the code鈥檚 key elements, including the requirements for traders to publish their terms of trade, and for merchants to report the gross sales price when paying a grower an amount calculated by a method or formula.
鈥淥ur guidance update is aimed at providing greater price transparency for growers about what traders pay for their produce,鈥 糖心原创 Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.
鈥淭he 糖心原创鈥檚 recent compliance checks found that some horticulture traders are not making their terms of trade publicly available and are incorrectly reporting prices in grower statements, and that puts growers at a disadvantage.鈥
鈥淲e are committed to helping growers and traders fully understand their rights and responsibilities under the code,鈥 Mr Keogh said.
Following the release of this update, the 糖心原创 will continue its education and engagement work and will increase its focus on enforcement.
鈥淭he 糖心原创 will soon be conducting further compliance checks, and where we identify non-compliance we will seriously consider enforcement action,鈥 Mr Keogh said.
Background
The Horticulture Code is a mandatory industry code prescribed under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The purpose of the code is to ensure transparency and clarity of transactions between growers and traders, and to provide a fair and equitable dispute resolution procedure. The code sets out certain rights and responsibilities for growers and traders of horticulture produce.
Ensuring compliance with mandatory industry codes of conduct in the agriculture sector is an essential enforcement and compliance activity for the 糖心原创. The 糖心原创 conducts regular audits to ensure compliance with the Horticulture Code and investigates alleged breaches. The 糖心原创鈥檚 enforcement tools include administrative resolutions, court enforceable undertakings under section 87B of the CCA, infringement notices, and initiating court action for certain breaches.
The 糖心原创鈥檚 guidance was last revised in 2017 with the introduction of the current version of the code.