AUSVEG has released a notice to notify vegetable and fresh potato levy payers that it is its intent to keep the vegetable and fresh potato Emergency Plant Pest Response (EPPR) levies active on an on-going basis.
The rationale for this position is strongly informed by the fact that the vegetable industry's negotiated cost share of the biosecurity response to Varroa mite is able to be met from reserves accrued from the already-active vegetable EPPR levy, with no additional costs imposed on vegetable growers.
In light of the ongoing biosecurity response to Varroa mite, numerous other horticulture bodies are in the process of providing stakeholders with information in relation to these matters. Not all industries are in the relatively-strong position of being able to meet their respective cost share of the Varroa mite response from already-accrued EPPR levy reserves.
The primary intent of the decision to keep the fresh potato and vegetable EPPR levies active is to ensure industry preparedness to fund future biosecurity responses as required. This notification provides further detail.
Click here to read the full PR.
For more information:
Zarmeen Hassan
AUSVEG
Tel.: +61 (03) 9882 0277
Email: zarmeen.hassan@ausveg.com.au