The Agricultural Produce Commission Act (APC) provides Western Australian agricultural producers with the legal framework to collect funds to provide for the development and security of their industry sector.

What agricultural produce is covered by the APC?

The APC assists horticultural and other agricultural industries - except broadacre cropping and grazing. Horticultural industries can include; wine, fruit, vegetables, juices, nuts, turf and flowers Other agriculture commodities covered by the APC Act are; pork, poultry and the bee keeping. The Act provides the ability for an agricultural industry to be prescribed - and thereby able to form APC Producers’ Committees.

APC Committee initiatives include:

• Establishing compensation schemes
• Assisting in developing systems for quality control or pest and disease control
• Establishing inspection systems for grading, packaging and storage of agriculture produce
• Formulating schemes for helping producers gain accreditation
• Establishing voluntary crop insurance schemes
• Providing/developing educational programs
• Undertaking research
• Developing and expanding new markets
• Undertaking market forecasting

APC Producers’ Committees

The Committee, made up of producers, is the voice of all producers –if you are a Fee for Service paying producer then you have a say in what your Committee does. The Committee brings all producers together to work towards a unified industry and to develop a strategic plan which can take the industry forward. Be involved and contact your chairman if you feel there is something that needs to be done, if you have an idea that can help the industry or if you would like to take the opportunity to become involved.

How does an APC Producers’ Committee operate?

Committees take a leadership view of their industries and take their role very seriously. Each year they assess the needs of the industry and estimate the annual costs for providing identified services to producers. This cost is translated into a "Fee for Service" which all WA producers of that produce pay. The services that can be provided by an APC Committee are listed under the Section 12.1 of the Act and producers vote for the provision of some or all of the services at the committee establishment poll. The setting of a Fee fro Service must be approved by the Minister for Agriculture.

The collection of Fee for Service is normally through dealers, such as; market agents, wholesalers, exporters or retailers. Although other collection methods that are more appropriate to particular industry sectors may be considered. When approved by the Minister the Fee for Service is compulsory, this ensures that just as the benefits received by the producers are shared so is the cost.

The funds of each Committee are kept separately, and funds raised by a Committee are used for initiatives of that Committee.