Australian seafood industry welcomes AFMA levy deferral
Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) has welcomed news the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) will allow the deferral of levies due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry.
“This announcement provides some welcome relief for Australia’s commercial fishers who have been feeling the financial brunt of this pandemic since January,” SIA CEO Jane Lovell said.
“We called on all governments across Australia to help us through the next 6-12 months by removing all fees and charges across all of agriculture – not just the seafood industry – and we are pleased AFMA has announced this deferral.
“With very little to no income trickling through for industry, asking us to pay these significant management fees is a near impossible task.
“We’d like to thank AFMA, and we look forward to welcoming similar announcements from Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia in the near future.
“We’d also like to thank the NSW Government who announced earlier this month that commercial fishers who were affected by the bushfires, floods, or now the coronavirus were able to apply to have their second instalment of management charges waived.
“Our industry, like so many others, is doing it though and we appreciate those giving us a hand to ensure we’re here operating on the other side of this.”
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How do I defer my second levy instalment?
To apply to defer the next instalment of your levy, please complete and return the Application to defer Commonwealth management and research levy instalments to [email protected] by March 31, 2020. You must apply by this date.
For more information or to organise an interview with SIA CEO Jane Lovell please contact Media and Communications Manager, Jessica McInerney
E: [email protected] M: 0420 695 431
