00:02A mild winter has ripened this Tasmanian farm's strawberries three weeks early,
00:07while its Queensland sister farm is still picking.
00:11With the season still finishing up there and our season down here starting a bit earlier,
00:15we have had to quickly scramble to rejig our workforce,
00:20and that's where we also rely on backpacker workers to come in and fill gaps.
00:25Berry farmer Stephanie Terry also chairs the National Farmers Federation's Workforce Committee.
00:31She says farmers are worried about working holiday visa restrictions.
00:36It has put a lot of pressure on farmers to try and source labour
00:41or look for different avenues of how they can retain labour.
00:45Processing of working holiday visas has slowed
00:48and the federal government has plans to significantly cap the numbers of returning backpackers.
00:54We haven't had any second or third year visa applications this year of working holiday visa makers,
01:00and that's unusual.
01:01They're the most productive working holiday visa people that we can have,
01:05and unfortunately they haven't been available.
01:07Fruit growers say a planned ballot for backpackers wanting visa extensions is a deterrent.
01:13Big impact for cherries, the short season cherries, apples in particular,
01:18but it also will affect our berries.
01:20You know, it's a $400 million industry.
01:22The National Farmers Federation is warning the changes could contribute
01:26to higher fruit and vegetable prices if growers can't get enough workers during harvests.
01:32You know, in this battle it is also hidden James that will make some failures and will have a lot
01:32of flows at hand,
01:32So I never can imagine he needs the alcohol, washing, drying, vaccines.
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