28/07/2026
Tier 1 Notifications from Tasmanian Biosecurity: The Latest Episode of "Government Knows Best"
I realise this is probably the longest post I've ever written for Jack's page. But this one matters. So, grab a cuppa, settle in, and please read it to the end.
If you agree, sign the petition. If you don't agree, congratulations on having a different opinion. Apparently, diversity is still allowed... for now.
Meet Jack, from Jack and the Broad Bean Stalk!
Jack grows a few veggies in his backyard to help his Disability Support Pension stretch a little further.
Nothing too fancy. A few leafy greens. Some herbs. Whatever catches his attention between dodging weeds, chasing possums and wondering where the afternoon disappeared.
Under the latest proposal currently out for consultation, Jack can happily give his excess produce to family, friends and neighbours.
No worries there.
However, the moment Jack advertises on Facebook, sells a bunch of silver beet at a market, supplies a local shop, or earns enough money to pay for a bucket of golf balls and a swim...
Congratulations, Jack! You've just graduated to: TIER 1 BIOSECURITY ACTIVITY OPERATOR!
Sounds important, doesn't it? Like something you'd put on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, it mostly means paperwork.
And not just for Jack. Community gardens, School veggie stalls, Neighbourhood Houses, Not-for-profit growing projects, Backyard growers and small market gardeners and Herb growers will all be caught up in this….proposal.
Basically, if you've ever looked at a lettuce and thought, "I might sell one of those," there's a fair chance you'll end up in the same regulatory bucket.
So, What Does This Mean for Jack?
To sell a $2 bunch of silver beet, Jack may need to:
• Notify Biosecurity Tasmania.
• Record where he's growing produce.
• Record what he's growing.
• Keep customer information for traceability.
• Be available for inspections.
• Develop food safety documentation.
• Conduct risk assessments.
• Complete forms and appendices that appear to have been written by people whose closest experience with gardening is owning a plastic pot plant.
Because apparently:
Plant seed → Water plant → Pick vegetable → Sell vegetable, was simply too straightforward.
The Food Safety Management Statement!
This is where the fun really begins. Jack may be expected to prepare a Food Safety Management Statement.
The good news?
The Government says it can be tailored to suit your business.
The bad news?
The "indicative template" appears to be around 30 pages long!
Thirty. Pages!! I can hear my late Pa rolling in his grave!
For perspective, Jack's entire annual business plan currently consists of:
"Reckon I'll plant some lettuce this week."
Most backyard growers don't know what they'll be harvesting in six months.
Gardening operates according to a highly sophisticated planning system involving:
• weather
• possums
• weeds
• motivation
• the occasional existential crisis
Some days you grow vegetables. Some days you stare at the weeds and decide “Future You” can deal with them.
The Great Silver Beet Recall!
One justification for all this is traceability.
In theory, if there's a food safety issue, products can be traced and recalled. Sounds reasonable. Until you imagine trying to locate everyone who bought a $2 bunch of silver beet at a weekend market.
"Excuse me Susan, we're urgently recalling that parsley bunch you purchased three Sunday’s ago between the homemade jam stall and the bloke selling honey."
Let's Talk Water!
The proposal asks growers how they intend to keep E. coli levels in pre-harvest water below specified thresholds. After several hours of research, confusion and one particularly deep internet rabbit hole, I arrived at a groundbreaking conclusion: Use the garden tap to dispense water!
Apparently, the solution is to avoid water exposed to livestock, birds, runoff, septic systems and other contamination risks.
Which eventually translates to: "Use clean, mains water."
Honestly, we could have saved everyone several pages and just led with that.
And Don't Forget the Alpaca P**p!
Leafy green growers are also expected to carefully manage soil amendments, compost and manure. Meaning the beautiful organic alpaca manure from the family farm (thanks David & Shelley) suddenly becomes a compliance issue.
Because nothing screams "efficient government" quite like paperwork about alpaca poo.
Why This Matters!
This isn't really about biosecurity.
Most growers support protecting Tasmania from pests, diseases and food safety risks.
It's about the proposal casting the net so wide that it catches:
• Backyard growers
• Community gardens
• School projects
• Produce swaps
• Small local sellers
• Neighbourhood food resilience initiatives
In other words, the very people helping to strengthen local food production and community connection. It doesn't encourage participation. It discourages it.
And, in a twist worthy of a government sitcom (Yes, Minister!), it seems to sit awkwardly beside the Government's own Food Resilience Strategy and Red Tape Reduction Program.
Oh, the irony.
So, What's This All For?
For Jack, we're talking about roughly $60 a month. Not $60,000
Not a sprawling agribusiness. Not a multinational produce empire.
Just enough to:
• Help stretch the pension a little further.
• Buy a bucket of golf balls.
• Have a swim.
• Enjoy the occasional takeaway meal.
This post isn't about whether the Government welfare payments are too stingy, it's about dignity!
It's about contributing!
It's about connecting with your community.
It's about being able to take something you're good at and share it with others.
Have Your Say!
If this proposal concerns you as much as it concerns me, please sign the petition before 30 July 2026 and share this post with your family, friends and community networks.
Because if selling a few bunches of backyard silver beet starts requiring the same level of planning as launching a space mission, perhaps we've lost the proverbial plot.
PS - At Jack and the Broad Bean Stalk, we absolutely support biosecurity! Protect Tasmania. Protect our agriculture. Protect our environment.
But surely there's a middle ground between doing nothing and requiring Jack's backyard Silver Beet patch to operate like a Fortune 500 company.
And if you've made it this far, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
