ATGA CHAIR & CEO
Weathering the storm News from our chair As a grower, exporter, and labour hire provider, this harvest season has been a perfect storm of events. Thankfully, we are almost through the season, but it hasn't been without its tests. There were some growers who were lucky to escape the full brunt of the mild weather, but even those up north with earlier seasons experienced challenges. I can’t remember a year that my Crimson Seedless coloured as late as it did this year. I put that down to the milder season, and the humidity we experienced throughout January and February. The lack of supply of labour means people are screaming for backpackers everywhere – in cotton, blueberries, there is so much choice. Those jobs would normally have to be fought for. If you applied for a job in cotton you’d have to compete with 3000 backpackers. Now, there simply aren’t enough to go around, and competition from other industries has had an effect. I have paid my workers a good hourly rate but they’re still ready to go elsewhere because the season’s nearly at an end – even though we’ll need workers for pruning. However, looking forward, I hope chemical and fertiliser supply will get
back into a pattern, and everything in short supply will ease up before we move into next season.
News from our CEO Unusual weather conditions, Covid, and seasonal labour have led to an unexpected and very challenging season. Talking to growers and exporters, everyone has been faced with different circumstances that have significantly impacted the current harvest season. Covid has been a catalyst for many of those challenges. It’s no secret that the increasing cost of containers, treated pallets and freight shipping logistics have proved difficult for all exporters and growers. The seasonal harvest labour workforce is still a major worry for most growers, with estimates the industry has been short of labour by 50 per cent of its normal requirement. Of the workers available, many are picking and choosing which property to go to and what they will harvest. The ATGA has invested a great deal of capital resources in attempting to attract seasonal workers, producing resources for seasonal workers and hosting regular meetings with harvest labour providers, stakeholders, and the Victorian Government. One of the priorities the ATGA has been pushing with state and federal bodies is
Jeremey Boyd | Chair
10 VINE MAGAZINE
the regulation of labour hire contractors (LHCs). Until governments get together to have uniform regulations for how LHCs operate, then issues with labour supply will continue to surface and be problematic for growers. Let’s hope the governments act on this soon. The Federal Government recently made a positive announcement, with news that one country had finally signed on to the new Australian Agriculture Visa (Ag Visa). However, that has been of no benefit to the industry this year and there is still a great deal of uncertainty around the successful implementation of the Ag Visa going forward. It is definitely something our industry cannot rely on going forward until there are more tangible announcements. The climatic conditions this year have also not helped, with very cool weather during spring and very little sunlight. Maturity sampling and retailer data, collected as part of the ATGA’s maturity project, along with a consensus of opinion, show this season’s late maturation, slow colouring and berry softness is likely related to these climatic conditions. Late maturing of grapes in all regions meant consumer acceptability of grapes declined to worrying levels, where 50 per cent of consumers were not repurchasing within 12 weeks of a poor eating experience. Let’s hope this has been a one-off occurrence and the industry regains its status in the coming years. You can read more the maturity project updates on pages 14-15. v
Jeff Scott | CEO
