Dairy Industry Labour Agreement: sponsoring dairy cattle farm workers

What the agreement covers

• Two occupations: Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker and Dairy Cattle Farm Operator, nominated under the Department’s custom occupation code because there is no ANZSCO match. Both describe experienced hands who run milking, herd health, feeding and machinery with limited supervision; the template sets the experience required.
• Visas: the 482 labour-agreement stream (up to four years), the 494 for regional dairy businesses, and the 186 labour-agreement stream for permanent residency after the transition period (commonly three years of sponsored work).
• Salary and English: the nominated salary must meet the template’s settings against the A$79,423 threshold and the market rate; English is required at a level the template fixes (equivalent to the former short-term 482 setting), with the usual exemptions.
• Regional settings: the November 2021 update changed the concessions available to regional dairy businesses; the current template on the Department’s page states them.

How to get access, step by step

1. Confirm you fit the template. The business must operate in the industry the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement covers and the role must be one of the template’s occupations; the Department does not add occupations or concessions to an industry template for an individual employer. Anything outside it is a company-specific agreement.
2. Labour market testing. Evidence of genuine local recruitment is required with the request and again at each nomination, and the December 2024 amendments tightened what the Department accepts for industry agreements: two advertisements of 28 days or more, within the four months before lodging on platforms with national reach, stating the salary where required.
3. Request the agreement through ImmiAccount (the Department’s labour agreement section handles requests). There is no charge for the agreement itself. Allow several months the first time; the agreement normally runs for five years.
4. Nominate each worker on the 482 labour-agreement stream: nomination charge A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy of A$1,200 per visa year for businesses under A$10m turnover (A$1,800 above). The worker lodges the visa (A$4,015). The Department’s September 2026 median for 482 processing was four months.
5. Comply. The template’s terms are conditions on your business: the nominated salary, the concession limits, record-keeping, notifying changes within 28 days. Breach suspends or cancels the agreement and the standard sponsor sanctions follow.

The agreement against the alternatives

• Standard 482 or 494 for a Dairy Cattle Farmer (121313) who genuinely manages the operation; VETASSESS assesses management-level duties, so a hand does not qualify.
• PALM for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers on long-term placements of up to four years, with no PR pathway; several dairy regions use it alongside the industry agreement.
• Regional DAMAs (Goulburn Valley, the Great South Coast, Orana, regional South Australia, South West WA and the Northern Territory) can list dairy roles for businesses inside the region. DAMA regions.

Which route fits: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA compared.

Where the workers are

Experienced dairy hands on SponsorTalent come mainly from the Philippines, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Kenya, plus Irish, British and European Working Holiday makers already milking in Australia. Search farm worker candidates and filter for dairy experience; the candidate-facing view is at farm jobs with sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

Can a dairy farm sponsor a farm hand on a standard 482? No. Dairy cattle farm workers are not on the skilled occupation lists. Working farms sponsor them under the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement as Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker or Dairy Cattle Farm Operator; only a Dairy Cattle Farmer who manages the operation fits the standard program.

Which visas does the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement use? The 482 labour-agreement stream for up to four years, the 494 for regional businesses, and the 186 labour-agreement stream for permanent residency after the transition period the template sets.

Is there a cost for the agreement? No charge for the agreement. Each nomination costs A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy (A$1,200 per visa year under A$10m turnover, A$1,800 above), and the worker pays the A$4,015 visa charge unless you choose to. Sponsor-side costs cannot be recovered from the worker.

Do I need labour market testing for a dairy labour agreement? Yes, with the request and at each nomination; evidence requirements for industry agreements were strengthened in December 2024.

How long does it take to get the first worker? Several months for the agreement, running alongside labour market testing, then nomination and visa, which took a median of four months in the Department’s September 2026 figures. Allow six to nine months to a start date the first time.