See how Summerfruit Australia invests grower levies and government funds. Current R&D programs, export development, biosecurity, extension, consumer research, and advocacy — all in one place.
Programs
Active levy-funded programs
Export value delivered since 2023
Members supported across seven export markets
Every program on this page is funded by the levies paid by Australian summerfruit growers, matched dollar for dollar by the Australian Government through Hort Innovation.
01
Research & Orchard Production
Precision data, harvest maturity science, and minor use chemistry – the tools growers need to produce fruit that meets market specification, season after season.
02
Export & Trade Development
From Vietnam market access to the new export registration portal, SAL’s trade programs protect and grow the markets that drive grower returns.
03
Biosecurity & Consumer Research
Surveillance programs, consumer insights, and on-farm extension — the less visible work that keeps the industry prepared, informed, and connected.
We support you to grow, trade and sustain
Transparency in action
We direct, invest, and report - on behalf of growers.
Programs are managed through the Hort Innovation Summerfruit Fund, with SAL directing the industry’s strategic priorities and ensuring levy investment delivers real outcomes for growers.
Levy-funded programs
SAL works with Hort Innovation to set priorities through the Summerfruit Strategic Investment Plan - a five-year plan developed in consultation with growers through the Summerfruit Advisory Panel.
Tendered and reported publicly
Every investment is tendered, contracted, and reported on publicly. Final reports are available through the Hort Innovation website.
Our promise to growers
SAL also undertakes its own advocacy and industry initiatives that operate alongside - but separately from - the levy-funded program.
What "doing what growers can't" means
Industry-wide investment in research, market development, biosecurity, and advocacy that individual operations could not undertake alone.
Research & Production
Export Development
Biosecurity
Consumer Insights
Crop Extension
Agrichemical Access
Advocacy & Policy
Our levy-funded programs
Quick Links:
SF23000
Precision Summerfruit Orchards
What it is
A multi-year research program investigating how spatial data and precision management can improve fruit quality, yield consistency, and labour efficiency across summerfruit orchards. The project uses sensor-based technology and trial data from commercial orchards to develop practical, grower-applicable recommendations for crop load management.
Why it matters
Variability between trees and orchard blocks is one of the most persistent challenges in summerfruit production. This project is developing data-driven tools that help growers make better decisions about thinning, irrigation, and harvest timing – reducing waste and improving the proportion of fruit that meets market specification.
Delivery partner: Fruitful Insights (in partnership with SAL and Hort Innovation)
Investment (2024/25 actual): $138,300
Forecast through 2027/28: $120,000 per annum
SF23003
Summerfruit Trade Development Project
What it is
The successor to the successful SF19000 market access program, this project continues SAL’s work to maintain and grow export markets for Australian summerfruit — with a focus on China, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, UAE, and Canada. It includes in-market engagement, trade intelligence, pre-season grower and exporter training, and coordination of the annual export registration process.
Why it matters
Export revenue reached a record A$95.28 million in 2023/24. Maintaining and growing that requires continuous investment in market relationships, compliance infrastructure, and grower readiness. The industry’s target of 40,000 tonnes by 2030 is only achievable through sustained, strategic trade development
Investment (2024/25 actual): $298,422
Forecast 2025/26: $236,972
SF23004
Extension & Communication Project
What it is
A levy-funded project delivered by SAL to Hort Innovation, designed to improve the flow of research, innovation, and practical knowledge to growers. Activities include field day delivery, grower communications, digital resources, regional grower engagement, and coordination with state agriculture departments.
Why it matters
Research is only valuable if growers can access it and apply it. This project is the primary mechanism for connecting Hort Innovation’s R&D investment to on-farm practice change. It directly supports SAL’s core purpose of doing what growers can’t — including aggregating and translating research outputs into accessible formats for 300+ growers across six states.
Investment (2024/25 actual): $156,468
Forecast through 2027/28
SF23005
Determining Harvest Maturity for Peaches and Nectarines
What it is
Research into objective, non-destructive methods for determining when peaches and nectarines are ready to harvest – moving away from subjective, experience-based assessment toward repeatable, data-backed protocols.
Why it matters
Picking fruit at the right maturity is critical to eating quality, shelf life, and export market acceptance. Fruit picked too early fails to ripen properly; fruit picked too late bruises in transit. Getting this right consistently, across different varieties and seasons, directly protects grower returns and market reputation.
Investment (2024/25 actual): $207,562
Forecast through 2027/28
SF16001
Summerfruit Minor Use Program
What it is
A long-running program supporting growers’ access to registered agrichemical products for minor pest and disease issues where commercial registration from chemical companies is not viable due to the small market size.
Why it matters
Without this program, growers face pest and disease threats with no legal chemical control options — a direct threat to productivity, food safety compliance, and export market access. Minor use permits fill the gap left by the commercial registration process.
SF25003
Export Registration Portal
What it is
Development of a purpose-built online portal to manage the complex compliance and registration requirements for summerfruit exports to protocol markets (China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam). The portal will replace existing manual processes and streamline the annual accreditation workflow for growers, packhouses, and SAL.
Why it matters
The current export registration system involves significant manual administration each season. A dedicated portal reduces compliance burden, reduces errors, and makes it faster for growers to get accredited and onto approved export lists.
SF24641 / SF24501
International Marketing — Vietnam
What it is
Targeted marketing investment in Vietnam, the newest protocol market for Australian summerfruit. Activities have included retail launch events in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, in-store promotions across 42 retail locations in partnership with AEON and MMVN, sampling programs, and media engagement.
Why it matters
Vietnam gained access for Australian peaches and nectarines in 2022, and Australian plums in September 2024 — two years of negotiations culminating in a signing ceremony in Hanoi attended by SAL’s CEO. Building consumer awareness and retail partnerships in the early seasons of access is critical to long-term market establishment. With market development, SAL projects Australia could achieve 15% share of plum imports into Vietnam within five years, worth an estimated A$7.5 million.
Campaign reach (2023/24): 30 media articles; consumer reach of 200,000+; 156 retail sampling days.
MT24007
Chemical Residue Report — Indonesia Country Recognition Arrangement
What it is
Provision of maximum residue limit (MRL) and withholding period (WHP) data to support Australia’s Country Recognition Arrangement with Indonesia, ensuring Australian summerfruit can continue to be exported to this growing market without unnecessary trade barriers.
Investment (2024/25–2027/28): ~$160–180 per annum (small but strategically critical)
Biosecurity
Biosecurity Response Levy
What it is
SAL has formally requested the Australian Government activate a Biosecurity Response Levy on stone fruit at 0.1 cents per kilogram from October 2026. This levy is required to repay the summerfruit industry’s cost-sharing obligations under the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) — specifically, industry’s share of the costs associated with the Varroa mite and Exotic Fruit Fly (Torres Strait) responses, which the Commonwealth has underwritten to date.
Why it matters
As a signatory to the EPPRD, the summerfruit industry has legally binding cost-sharing obligations in the event of emergency pest responses. The biosecurity response levy fulfils those obligations and ensures the industry maintains its standing as a responsible, prepared participant in Australia’s biosecurity system. The repayment period is estimated at four seasons based on current production volumes.
Status
Objection period concluded April 2026. SAL has submitted industry feedback to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) for the formal activation process.
SF25001
Summerfruit Biosecurity Plan Review
What it is
A renewal of the national Summerfruit Biosecurity Plan — the industry’s core document for identifying, prioritising, and responding to biosecurity risks. The current plan dates from 2019 and requires updating to reflect new pest threats, changed regulatory frameworks, and lessons from recent emergency responses.
Why it matters
An up-to-date biosecurity plan is the foundation of the industry’s biosecurity credibility with government and trading partners. It also underpins the industry’s ability to respond rapidly and effectively if an emergency pest incursion occurs.
MT21008 / PH25001
National Bee Pest Surveillance Program
What it is
A coordinated national surveillance program for exotic and significant bee pests, including Varroa mite. Summerfruit contributes to this cross-industry program because pollination by bees is essential to fruit set across the industry.
FF20000
National Fruit Fly Council — Phase 4
What it is
Continued investment in the National Fruit Fly Council, which coordinates management of Queensland fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly across horticultural industries. Summerfruit is a significant host crop for both species and contributes to cross-industry coordination.
MT21004
Consumer Behavioural Data Program
What it is
An ongoing program tracking how Australian consumers purchase and consume fresh produce, including summerfruit. Data is available through Hort Innovation’s HortIQ platform and used by SAL and the industry to inform marketing strategy, retail engagement, and category management decisions.
Investment (2024/25 actual): $63,650
MT24201
Consumer Usage and Attitude Tracking
What it is
Continuous monitoring of Australian consumer attitudes and purchasing behaviours specific to stone fruit — covering peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots. Tracks drivers of purchase, barriers to consumption, and the impact of marketing activities on consumer behaviour.
Why it matters
Stone fruit is predominantly an impulse purchase — 60% of purchases are unplanned. Understanding what prompts consumers to reach for summerfruit (and what stops them) is directly relevant to in-store presentation, marketing messaging, and retail promotional strategy.
Investment (2025/26 forecast): $2,228
SF23002
Stone Fruit Usage and Attitude Study
What it is
A national consumer study commissioned through Kantar Insights Australia, providing a detailed profile of how Australians buy and eat stone fruit. The study covered consumption occasions, shopping behaviours, variety trial, and decision-making at point of purchase — comparing stone fruit against other fruit and snack alternatives.
Key findings
Nectarines perform particularly strongly as a quick, easy snack. The research identified taste experience as the primary driver of repeat purchase, with price, firmness, and short shelf life identified as the key barriers. Many consumers lack confidence about seasonality and Australian origin. Findings are available through the Hort Innovation website.
MT24005
Horticulture Impact Assessment Program
What it is
An independent economic assessment of the return on investment generated by Hort Innovation’s R&D levy investment across horticulture industries, including summerfruit. Provides evidence of levy value to growers and the Australian Government.
SF24001
Stone Fruit Retail Quality Education Program
What it is
A program delivering training and education resources to retail staff across major supermarket and greengrocer chains, focused on correct handling, storage, and presentation of summerfruit. Proper in-store handling directly affects eating quality at point of consumer purchase — and therefore repeat purchase rates.
Why it matters
Fruit that reaches the consumer in poor condition — overripe, bruised, or improperly stored — creates a negative taste experience that damages the category. Educating retail staff is one of the most direct levers the industry has to protect quality from the grower’s orchard gate to the consumer’s table.
MT25004
Mid-Term Reviews
What it is
Independent, evidence-based evaluations of key industry development and extension projects across horticulture, including summerfruit. Ensures that ongoing investments are delivering intended outcomes and allows for course corrections where needed.
MT25002
Multi-Industry MRL App
What it is
Development of a centralised, cross-industry Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) app providing real-time, country-specific MRL and withholding period (WHP) data for 17 horticultural commodities including stone fruit. The app integrates with the Australian Table Grape Association’s existing export registration systems and provides growers and exporters with a single, reliable compliance tool.
Why it matters
MRL non-compliance is one of the most serious risks to Australian summerfruit’s market access. A single MRL breach in an export market can result in a shipment rejection, reputational damage, and regulatory scrutiny that takes seasons to recover from. Real-time, accurate MRL data reduces this risk materially.
MT24008
Regulatory Support & Coordination — Pesticides
What it is
Expert regulatory analysis and coordinated industry engagement with APVMA and international food safety bodies (including Codex Alimentarius) to safeguard grower access to essential crop protection products and advocate for pesticide MRL settings that reflect Australian growing conditions.
Investment (2024/25 actual): $3,832
MT23001
Strategic Agrichemical Review Process — SARP
What it is
A comprehensive review of registered and permitted agrichemical options for summerfruit and 12 other horticultural industries, identifying current gaps in pest management tools and providing a prioritised list of agrichemical registrations and permits to pursue through the APVMA. The completed report is publicly available through Hort Innovation.
ST21001
Data for Pesticide Applications in Horticulture
What it is
Generation of residue trial data to support new or continued APVMA registrations for pesticides in horticulture crops, including summerfruit — filling data gaps that prevent commercial registration of important pest management products.
Advocacy & Policy
Market Access Negotiations
These activities are undertaken by SAL directly, operating as the industry’s representative body to government, regulators, and international trading partners. They are funded through SAL’s own levy-funded industry consultation programs and operational budget, not through individual project investments.