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VFMA accreditation

On Saturday 14 November 2009 the Victorian Farmers’ Markets Association celebrated the first crop of farmers and producers accredited under our statewide accreditation program.

How has this come about? In order to be accredited, farmers and producers have been required to complete detailed paperwork about their farm / business and what it produces. Each producer’s paperwork has been considered by an independent assessment panel based upon the signed declaration of true and correct information provided by each applicant. In many cases members from the independent assessment panel have also conducted site farm visits to ensure the information provided matches the farm or premises.

Will more stallholders be accredited? 125 farmers and producers were accredited on Saturday 14 November, but it is important to note this is just the first batch of stallholders accredited under the new program. Any farmer or producer participating in a farmers’ market is eligible to apply for accreditation and should they be successful they will be provided with an accreditation logo to display on their stall and a certificate of authenticity. The Victorian Farmers’ Markets Association estimates approximately another 70 applicants will be processed by the end of 2009 and another 100 in early 2010.

 

Why is authenticity so important? When someone shops at a farmers’ market they should be able to trust that the person who they are transacting with is the person who grew or made the produce.

Will farmers’ markets themselves ever be accredited? Yes. In 2010 the Victorian Farmers’ Markets Association will be inviting farmers’ markets themselves to apply for accreditation.  For markets to be eligible for accreditation they will require 90% (in city markets) or 75% (in regional market) of their total stallholders to be accredited.

The introduction of the Victorian Farmers’ Markets Association’s accreditation program is a significant step for the local farmers ‘ market community and one that is motivated by our determination to be recognised as an important and trustworthy growing sector of the Victorian food industry. We’re here to stay, and our aim is to give every opportunity to farmers and shoppers alike in the choice of how they earn and spend their food dollar.  

The VFMA Accreditation Program has been supported by the Victorian Government through Regional Development Victoria.