Push to support local flower growers this Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day retailers and consumers are being encouraged to show their love in more ways than one, by purchasing Australian-grown flowers, and supporting local flower growers.

“Australia’s clean, green environment is well-suited to growing beautiful fresh flowers, but many consumers simply assume that the fresh flowers they are buying have been picked locally, when in fact there is a increasing amount being imported," Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison said.

Millions of flowers are flown into Australia each year.

"Imported flowers are unlikely to last as long as Australian-grown flowers, because of the distance they have to travel to get to buyers and the fact that they have been grown in a different climate.

"The challenge for consumers is to identify the local product, and in the absence of any country-of-origin labelling requirements, that can be difficult. The smart growers of course use the ‘Australian Grown’ logo, which consumers know and trust.

"We are encouraging retailers and consumers to buy Australian-grown flowers this Valentine’s Day, and enjoy them for longer, knowing that they have supported a local grower and purchased a high quality Aussie product.”