From the Ground Up: A Grower’s Guide to Freshcare Land & Fertiliser Management (F2, F3, F5)

Great produce starts with great foundations. Long before you even think about harvesting, the food safety practices you implement in the paddock are already shaping the quality and safety of your final product. Your soil, your seedlings, and your fertilisers are the first links in the food safety chain. 

The Freshcare standard groups these foundational practices under elements F2, F3, and F5. They cover how you manage your growing sites, source your planting materials, and apply fertilisers—especially those containing animal manure. 

At AgriQulture Consulting, we know that these in-field decisions can be complex. This guide will clarify the requirements and help you build food safety right from the ground up. 

Managing Your Growing Site (F2) 

Your land itself is your most valuable asset, but it can also hold historical risks. Freshcare requires you to understand and manage your growing sites to minimise any potential for contamination. 

What you need to do: 

You must assess and manage your growing sites for a range of potential food safety hazards. This includes: 

• Controlling Animal Access: Keep livestock off growing sites for a set period before harvest. 

• Managing After a Flood: Observe a mandatory waiting period after a flood event before harvesting certain crops. 

• Assessing Land History: As covered in our Hazard Analysis article, you must assess your land for risks from previous uses, such as persistent chemicals or heavy metals. 

• Checking for Physical Contamination: Before preparing the ground, you must inspect for and remove physical contaminants like glass, metal, or hard plastics. Any known contaminated sites must be identified on your property map. 

Why it matters: 

The history and condition of your growing site can directly impact your produce. The risk of contamination is highest for crops where the edible part grows in contact with the soil and may be eaten uncooked. 

Key Actions for Compliance: 

• Livestock Exclusion Periods: You must not permit livestock on growing sites within 90 days of the intended harvest date for produce grown in or in direct contact with the soil (that may be eaten uncooked), and within 45 days of the intended harvest date for all other produce. 

• Post-Flood Waiting Period: For those same soil-contact crops eaten uncooked, if the site is affected by a flood, you must ensure the period between the flood water subsiding and harvest exceeds 90 days. 

Sourcing Clean Planting Materials (F3) 

The safety of your crop starts with the quality of what you plant. 

What you need to do: 

You must ensure that your planting materials—whether they are seeds, seedlings, or rootstock—are purchased from suppliers that are managed according to the Freshcare supplier requirements (F11). 

Why it matters: 

Planting materials can sometimes be a source of chemical contamination from pesticides used by the nursery during seedling production. For crops with a very short cycle, like baby leaf salads, these residues could potentially exceed the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in your final product. 

AgriQulture Tip: 

Add your seedling nursery or seed company to your Approved Supplier List. It’s good practice to ask them for a record of any chemical treatments applied. This gives you confidence and a record of due diligence, ensuring you have all the information needed to meet your MRL obligations. 

Managing Fertilisers & Soil Additives (F5) 

This is one of the most critical elements for managing microbial risk on your farm. The rules around animal manure are specific and non-negotiable. 

What you need to do: 

You must manage all fertilisers and soil additives to minimise the risk of contaminating produce. Crucially, you must observe specified exclusion periods between the application of untreated animal manure and your crop harvest. You are also prohibited from using any human effluent or biosolids. 

Why it matters: 

Untreated animal manure is a well-documented source of dangerous human pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella. Applying it too close to harvest creates a significant risk that these pathogens could transfer to your produce and cause foodborne illness. 

The Manure Exclusion Periods: 

The length of your exclusion period is determined by your F1.3 Risk Assessment. The Freshcare Standard specifies: 

• A 90-day exclusion period is required for high-risk situations (e.g., using untreated manure on produce that is eaten uncooked and has soil contact, like lettuce). 

• A 45-day exclusion period is required for low-risk situations (e.g., all other produce). 

Important Exception: These exclusion periods do not apply if you use only fertilisers that do not contain manure, or if you use a manure-based product that has been properly treated (e.g., composted to Australian Standard AS4454:2012) and you have the certificate to prove it. 

Auditor’s Insight: 

An auditor will verify your compliance by cross-referencing your fertiliser application records with your harvest records. The dates must clearly show that you have respected the mandatory waiting period. Meticulous record-keeping is your best friend here.