Harvest without harm - Fruit netting regulations
Published on 01 September 2021
From today, 1 September 2021, netting used or sold to protect household fruit-trees, vegetable gardens, or other fruiting plants must have a mesh size of 5mm x 5mm or less at full stretch.
If you use netting to protect your household fruit or vegetable harvest you will need to comply with this new mandatory requirement introduced under Victoria’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (POCTA) Regulations 2019. Any existing household fruit netting that does not meet this specification must now be replaced with appropriate netting.
The regulation does not apply to sale or use of netting in commercial circumstances.
It is an offence under the POCTA Regulations 2019 to use, advertise or offer for sale netting for the purpose of covering household fruit trees, vegetable gardens and other fruiting plants unless it complies with the regulation relating to mesh-size.
Maximum penalties include fines of up to 15 penalty units (approximately $2,726). Infringement notices can also be issued, with two penalty units (approximately $363) being applicable for use, and 4 penalty units (approximately $727) for sale of fruit netting that does not meet the prescribed specifications.
Don’t forget that old netting when discarded can still be an entanglement risk. If you plan to dispose of old netting, it is recommended that you place it into a strong biodegradable bag before sending it to landfill.
There are alternatives to netting, such as the use of fruit bags that are placed over individual branches. These can reduce the risk of capturing animals while leaving excess fruit available for hungry wildlife.
If you are concerned about the use of non-compliant netting or the capture of wildlife in netting, call the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning customer contact centre on 136 186.
Further advice on netting requirements, protecting fruit trees and wildlife and helping injured wildlife is available at http://animalwelfare.vic.gov.au/netting or by calling 136 186.