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Fruit and Vegetable Picker

Fruit and vegetable pickers harvest fruit, vegetables, nuts and berries at farms, market gardens and orchards, and prepare produce for distribution.

Fruit and vegetable pickers work in diverse environments ranging from high-tech, large-scale operations to small family farms.

They may work from ladders or mechanical hoists when they are picking tree crops, or they may have to stoop to pick field and vine crops.

Gloves may be worn to protect hands from thorny branches.

Weather conditions can be hot, dusty, humid or rainy, but work usually continues in these conditions to ensure the harvest is completed on time.

Harvesting work is seasonal and pickers may travel long distances after picking one crop to get to their next job.

Some employers provide accommodation but pickers usually need to find their own.

TASKS

Fruit and vegetable pickers may perform the following tasks:

select fruit and vegetables for picking according to size and ripeness, and discard rotting and over-ripened produce
operate farm machinery to harvest nuts, fruit and vegetables
load picked fruit and vegetables into containers, taking care to avoid damage
drive tractors or other vehicles to deliver fruit and vegetables to the packing shed
sort and pack produce
drive forklifts to load boxes of produce onto trucks

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

enjoy practical work
free from skin conditions and allergies to agricultural chemicals
able to cope with the physical demands of the job
able to work at heights
able to work quickly and consistently for long periods of time
willing to work outdoors in all weather conditions
able to travel from property to property to pick fruit and vegetables
able to undertake manual and sometimes heavy work
reliable and motivated

Interest Area

EDUCATION & TRAINING

You can work as a fruit and vegetable picker without formal qualifications, but employers usually require Year 10. You will probably get some informal training on the job.

Additional Information

Once you are employed, you may be able to develop, and have recognised, additional skills under the Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package that will expand your career opportunities within this industry.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Seasonal employment is available throughout NSW and the ACT, with some demand usually met from local labour and regular workers who have been coming to the region over a number of years. Increasingly, there has been interest from backpackers who are working in Australia on holidays. Therefore, it is wise for outside labourers to have a firm offer of employment before travelling to the harvest areas.

Pickers are usually paid an hourly rate or an agreed amount based on how much produce they pick.