Completed project
Benchmarking study to assess vegetable industry biosecurity awareness and preparedness (VG12085)
Publication date: January 21, 2014
Delivery Partner: Macquarie Franklin
Growers and others in the vegetable industry have a key role to play in protecting their businesses and the industry from plant pests and diseases. This project explored the understanding of biosecurity among vegetable industry stakeholders, and assessed attitudes towards recommended biosecurity practices. The relationship between these attitudes and demographic factors was also investigated, providing a benchmark that any improvements can be compared against.
The study began with a review of information about biosecurity in the vegetable industry from the past five years. Researchers collected information from governments, biosecurity reports, websites such as farmbiosecurity.com.au and reviews. Consultations were also held with key industry groups across the country.
Next, the research team designed surveys to find out about knowledge, practices, values and beliefs about biosecurity from respondents from four stakeholder groups:
The surveys were completed in the second half of 2013, and a large amount of data was collected.
A major finding of the project was that, for many vegetable industry stakeholders, biosecurity is driven by the need to achieve some form of certification or Quality Assurance program, predominantly Freshcare. As a result, many survey respondents found meeting the requirements to be expensive, and overall held negative attitudes to biosecurity.
Researchers concluded that although the importance of biosecurity to the vegetable industry is understood, individuals do not always appreciate the importance of biosecurity for their own businesses – representing a potential barrier to the adoption of sound biosecurity practices.
Other key findings included:
Find out about the simple measures that can be put in place to protect your business at the Farm Biosecurity website
This project was a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund
© 2026 Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited.
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