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Regulations for Honey Levy Reforms

Regulation Impact Statement – Department of Agriculture

On 12 May 2015, the Australian Government announced changes to the honey levy and export charge to provide for the industry’s ongoing biosecurity obligations and priorities. The changes commencing on 1 July 2015 were:

  • The Emergency Animal Disease Response levy reduced from 0.7 cents per kilogram to zero;
  • A Plant Health Australia (PHA) subscription levy and charge set at 0.1 cents per kilogram;
  • A PHA Emergency Plant Pest Response levy and charge set at 2.9 cents per kilogram; and
  • The threshold at which the levy and export charge applies to the use of honey in production and the retail sale of honey for producers has been increased from 600 kilograms per annum to 1,500 kilograms per annum.

The changes aim to reform the honey industry levy to address inefficiencies in the collection and disbursement of levy revenue and to align the levies on honey with its plant sector biosecurity arrangements. In addition, the proposed changes will provide a more effective revenue stream for the industry to manage its biosecurity activities. The measure has been assessed as likely to have a measurable but contained impact on the economy. A Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) was prepared by the Department of Agriculture and has been assessed as compliant and consistent with best practice by the Office of Best Practice Regulation. The RIS estimates the average annual regulatory saving at about $5,000 per annum. The OBPR has agreed to the regulatory estimate.