Following the tightening of NSW border restrictions on Wednesday, workers from Victoria were no longer eligible to cross.
Mr Walsh called on Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes to arrange a meeting between national ministers to deal with the issue.
“Seasonal workers are critical to the timely picking and packing of fruit and vegetables, and the increased demand on available labour is placing significant pressure on businesses,” Mr Walsh said.
“The COVID crisis has also seen many overseas backpackers return home, and ongoing restrictions on international travel into Australia will mean no new overseas workers coming into our country.
“Border closures have hamstrung the movement of the seasonal labour workforce and our farmers’ ability to get their produce harvested on time.”
Mr Walsh said the request for the minister to convene an out-of-session Agriculture Ministers Council meeting must be acted on immediately.
“The coronavirus crisis continues to put massive pressure on our horticulture sector,” Mr Walsh said.
“The minister must immediately take action to find a workable solution for our farmers that will ensure the movement of seasonal workers in a COVID-safe manner.
“If these problems securing seasonal labour aren’t fixed, our farmers will struggle to meet demand for fresh fruit and vegetables.”
Ms Symes said she was continuing to work with her colleagues north of the border on several issues.
“I am having regular and productive conversations with NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall to identify and co-ordinate our response to issues associated with the strict new border conditions,” she said.
“Following the disappointing decision made by Mr Walsh’s federal colleague, Minister (David) Littleproud, to suspend fortnightly AGMIN meetings, I along with my state and territory colleagues have continued meeting.
“These discussions are helping to collaboratively address critical challenges faced by our agricultural sector.
“The issues for seasonal workers and their importance to the agricultural sector goes beyond a ban on border crossing.
“I can assure farmers that the state and territory agricultural ministers have been working on these matters since March and have requested further support from the Federal Government ahead of the key harvest periods.”
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