MEDIA RELEASE: AFSA Calls for True Scale-Appropriate Regulation in Tasmania’s New Horticulture Standards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 31st July 2026

HOBART, TASMANIA – The Agroecology & Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) welcomes the opening of Phase 2 public consultation for the Primary Produce Safety (Horticulture Produce) Regulations 2026. While supporting the Tasmanian Government’s move toward a tiered accreditation model, as a farmer-led organisation AFSA remains firm that regulations must be truly scale-appropriate to ensure the survival of small-scale, agroecological and regenerative farming businesses.

AFSA acknowledges Biosecurity Tasmania’s efforts to listen to Phase 1 feedback, resulting in a “Notification” category for leafy vegetable and melon producers under one hectare, which carries no annual fee. This is a vital step in reducing the regulatory burden on the smallest market gardens that provide fresh, local food to their communities.

“Australians care more than ever about how their food is produced and where they can access it,” says AFSA. “Governments must facilitate the viability of agroecology and regenerative agriculture embedded in localised food systems with short, direct supply chains.”

AFSA remains firm on several key requirements to prevent the corporate capture of the food system and ensure regulations are commensurate with actual risk:

• Support First Nations horticulture practices that embed culture, protect traditional bush and medicinal plants, and restore sovereignty over the Palawa People’s rightful lands, forests, wildlife and waterways.
• Scale-Appropriate Auditing: For Category 1 producers (1-5 hectares), AFSA strongly advocates for Department-based audits conducted by Biosecurity Tasmania staff. Prohibitive costs of external third-party or GFSI-standard audits—often designed for industrial monocultures—must not be forced upon smallholders.
• Direct-to-Consumer Exemptions: AFSA continues to recommend fee-free thresholds and exemptions from licensing for any farm selling produce directly to consumers through farmers’ markets or CSA models. These short supply chains inherently lower food safety risks by minimising the time for microbial growth.
• Systemic Resilience: Modern regulations must move away from an outdated paradigm of “risky monocultures” and instead support integrated agroecosystems. AFSA calls for guidance on safe management and withholding periods for farms that integrate animals into their production areas, rather than total exclusion.

AFSA also welcomes the twelve-month transition window following the regulations’ approval in late 2026. It is essential that this period remains education-led, providing smallholders with the templates and guidance necessary to meet standards without facing immediate punitive barriers.

AFSA also holds significant concerns regarding the administrative burden placed on home gardeners and non-profit producers. Requiring formal notification and food safety programs for those sharing or selling surplus produce—such as through roadside stalls or community charities—creates unnecessary barriers to local food sovereignty and food security. These community-led efforts operate within the shortest possible supply chains, often delivering produce to consumers on the day of harvest.

AFSA maintains that because food is a basic human right, the state should actively facilitate these resilient, community-based systems through explicit exemptions. Imposing stringent requirements designed for industrial monocultures on smallholders and charities not only inflicts an unnecessary burden on these farmers and growers, but risks restricting access to fresh, low-cost food for the most vulnerable members of society.

“Food is a human need and a basic right, not just a commodity,” AFSA concludes. “We look forward to collaborating with Biosecurity Tasmania to ensure these regulations protect human health while fostering a diverse, resilient, and sovereign food system for all Tasmanians”.

Media Contact:

Glen Chapman, National Committee Member (0414 618 350)

Agroecology & Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) – www.afsa.org.au
coordinator@afsa.org.au