Tasmanian farmers concerned about potential worker shortage

Primary producers fear that the national working holiday visa pause could lead to workforce shortages at Tasmanian farms.

The Home Affairs Department is prioritising skilled workers for industries such as construction, delaying the processing of itinerant workers just as peak harvest season arrives.

Itinerant workers make up 44 per cent of Australia’s peak horticulture harvest workforce, and Tasmania’s vegetable, berry and fruit growers rely on overseas labour to pick fresh produce.

Tasmanian Berries owner and Primary Employers Tasmania president Stephanie Terry said farmers feared the delay would affect their ability to harvest efficiently in the coming months.

Her business at Cressy employs up to 500 overseas workers during the peak season, which is on track to be earlier than usual due to fine weather, further magnifying the impact of the shortage.

“We also have a farm in Queensland and we’re starting to see an impact - it’s becoming quite tricky to get a reliable backpacker workforce,” Ms Terry said.

“Our seasonal workforce planning, including for the PALM Scheme workers, is based on historic seasons, so we’re already potentially down by about 70 workers in the next six to seven weeks.

“That is where backpackers, who make up about 15 per cent of our workforce, are really handy because they’ll come in for a few weeks, help us through a tricky spot, and then move on.

“With the PALM Scheme there’s a minimum six-month employment required for each recruit.

Tasmanian Berries would also likely compete with other fruit growers for workers because harvesting times overlap.

Ms Terry said the government should restore processing for working holiday visas.

“Sometimes decisions are made without full knowledge of what the actual impact is,” she said.

“It is essential to our business, and without these workers there could be a flow-through that affects the whole logistics chain.”

Hillwood Berries HR manager James Bellinger said it was not experiencing any flow-on effects from the visa processing pause.

“We are not experiencing any issues getting visas approved, so fortunately it does not affect us,” he said.

“If growers are struggling and wish to partner with our labour hire arm, I am sure we would be able to support their workforce needs.”

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said the number of people on working holiday visas was at historically high levels.

“The 2026-27 Federal Budget included measures to ensure Australia’s migration system continues to operate in the national interest, boosting productivity and supporting economic resilience while strengthening the integrity of the system.

“Included in these measures were reforms to the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program that allow the department to control demand better and provide a fairer allocation of WHM visas. 

“These actions will be rolled out progressively to ensure the long-term sustainability of the WHM program while continuing to support the tourism economy and workforce needs, particularly in regional Australia.

“The government will continue to work closely with stakeholders to uphold our international commitments and ensure critical workforce needs, including in agriculture, are met.”