Fair Farms Certification

Fair Farms is an organisation that aims to improve identified problems around workplace compliance.

Organisations in the agriculture industry want to be ethical, transparent employers. However, Australia’s complex employment laws and regulations can make this difficult and confusing. This complexity can lead to unintended non-compliance, especially with smaller businesses who do not have the expertise of a dedicated human resources team. There are also employers in the industry who purposely exploit workers in order to reduce labour cost and stay competitive in the market. This can hurt workers and put the future of the agriculture industry at risk.

The objective of the Fair Farms certificate program is to foster fair and responsible employment practices across the Australian horticulture industry. It aims to support a transition towards stronger workplace compliance which will lead to improved employment practices, fairer treatment of workers and reduced risk of worker exploitation and other human rights violations. In the future, workplace compliance programmes such as the Fair Farms Certification could become a mandatory requirement for all farmers wanting to remain part of the big retailers’ supply chain. It provides a pathway to third-party audit and certification, allowing participating businesses to demonstrate their commitment to fair and responsible employment practices to their customers, workers, and the community.

Benefits to your organization being Fair Farms certified:

• Shows that you are taking the steps to become an ethical employer, making your organization more attractive to workers.
• Improves your ability to sell to the major Australian retailers.
• Demonstrates to your customers that you are committed to complying with the Australian employment laws and ethical standards.

Intertek is accredited to certify to the Fair Farms program. Intertek is an industry-leading assurance provider with more than 20 years' experience in delivering end to end solutions that help organizations mitigate supply chain risk and protect their brand.