Good news for Australian horticulture growers – Coles has adopted the Fair Farms program into its ethical sourcing program for suppliers, joining Woolworths and Aldi as the major retailers to adopt the program.

What is Fair Farms?

Fair Farms is an industry-led initiative aimed at fostering fair and responsible employment practices in Australian horticulture, and was developed by Queensland horticultural body Growcom, with support from Ausveg, the Fair Work Ombudsman, and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment. Fair Farms provides support and training for farm employers, and a pathway to independent third-party audit and certification of fair employment practices. Fair Farms enables horticultural businesses to demonstrate their commitment to fair employment to their customers, workers and the community.

The Fair Farms programme has been designed with input from Australian farmers and retailers and offers local training support to participating farms.

Objectives

Fair Farms’ key objective is to lift employment practices across the Australian horticulture industry and to reduce the risk of workers exploitation. Fair Farms aims to achieve this through training, certification and market enforcement.

Training

Fair Farms gives growers and other participating businesses the knowledge and tools they need to be a compliant and responsible employer. Information and resources are provided by a training program for growers, providing tailored advice and support to reach compliance.

Certification

Fair Farms provides a mechanism that clearly shows to the market and the community who is committed to fair work practices.

Market Enforcement

Fair Farms engages with buyers of fresh produce, in true partnership whereby buyers make the commitment to source only from those suppliers that have demonstrated their commitment to responsible employment practices.

Thereby, over time, Fair Farms drives those businesses who underpay workers to gain a competitive advantage from attractive market segments.

For further information on the Fair Farms program, contact Growcom on (07) 3620 3844