Pork Industry Labour Agreement: sponsoring senior stockpersons (piggery)

What the agreement covers

• One occupation: Senior Stockperson (Piggery), an experienced hand responsible for husbandry across farrowing, weaning, growing and breeding sections, nominated under the Department’s custom occupation code. Entry-level attendants are not covered.
• Visas: the 482 labour-agreement stream for up to four years, with the 186 (and, for regional producers, the 494) pathways as the template provides after the qualifying period.
• Experience and skills: the template sets the experience and competency requirements; a skills assessment may be required under the template, and producers commonly evidence experience through employer references and industry training records.
• Salary and English: the nominated salary must meet the template’s setting against the A$79,423 threshold and the market rate; English at the template’s level with the usual passport exemptions.

How to get access, step by step

1. Confirm you fit the template. The business must operate in the industry the Pork 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, 494 or 186 for a Pig Farmer (121318) who manages the operation, assessed by VETASSESS on management duties.
• PALM for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers on long-term placements, with no PR pathway. PALM, labour agreement or DAMA compared.
• Regional DAMAs (Orana, regional South Australia, Goulburn Valley, South West WA and others) can list piggery roles for producers inside the region. DAMA regions.

Where the workers are

Experienced piggery staff on SponsorTalent come mainly from the Philippines, Vietnam, Nepal, India and Indonesia, with some onshore candidates on Working Holiday and other visas. Search farm worker candidates and filter for intensive livestock experience; the candidate-side view is at farm jobs with sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

Can a piggery sponsor a stockperson on a standard 482? No. Piggery attendants and stockpersons are not on the skilled occupation lists. Producers sponsor experienced hands under the Pork Industry Labour Agreement as Senior Stockperson (Piggery); only a Pig Farmer who manages the operation fits the standard program.

Which occupations does the Pork Industry Labour Agreement cover? One: Senior Stockperson (Piggery). Entry-level attendants and general farm hands are outside it; for those, PALM or a regional DAMA are the routes.

Does the agreement lead to permanent residency? The template provides permanent pathways (186 labour-agreement stream, and the 494 for regional producers in some summaries) after the qualifying period; the current template on the Department’s page states the terms.

What does it cost? 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); the worker pays the A$4,015 visa charge unless you choose to. Sponsor-side costs cannot be recovered from the worker.

Is the agreement guaranteed if I apply? No. The Department’s information sheet states that the government is under no obligation to enter into a labour agreement; the business case, labour market testing and compliance history decide it. Many producers do hold agreements, several renewed into 2031.