For three years FSANZ has been working on a proposal to more tightly regulate the production and sale of berries, leafy vegetables, and melons after several outbreaks of listeria, e coli, and salmonella from large monocultures. AFSA has provided feedback from the beginning on the need to approach any changes with a scale-appropriate lens to ensure our members – small-scale market gardeners who sell their products directly to eaters and restaurants – are not caught up in overly burdensome regulation.

We have made recommendations as follows:

Recommendations 

Recommendation 1	That a fee-free threshold is set for any farm that sells its produce direct to the consumer.
Recommendation 2	That no licence nor audits be required for producers of leafy vegetables or melons who sell directly to consumers.
Recommendation 3	That standards to prohibit inclusion of animals in production areas be revised to provide guidance on the safe management and withholding periods when animals are integrated into farming systems.

You can read the full submission here.