Quarter of Aus veg growers leaving produce to rot amid labour shortage
The study's project leader, Associate Professor Joanna Howe, from the University of Adelaide Law School, said the challenge in finding labour had become unsustainable and the amount of waste was a significant loss to the Australian economy.
"We are seen as the food bowl of Asia, but if we don't have the workers to get the produce out from the farms and into the supermarkets and out for export, it is a real concern about the sustainability of that industry," she said.
"It means that growers are finding it hard to expand because they are not sure they have enough workers to meet that expansion.
The new study by researchers from the University of Adelaide and University of Sydney, calls for major reform to the working holidaymakers and Pacific seasonal worker visa programs to address labour supply challenges and the exploitation of vulnerable workers.
source: smh.com.au
