Industry Labour Agreement
Dairy Industry Labour Agreement
Dairy Industry Labour Agreement: Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker and Dairy Cattle Farm Operator (code 070499), with regional English, age and salary terms.
Administered By
Department of Home Affairs
Key Benefit
Two dairy farm occupations with no ANZSCO code, on the subclass 482, 494 and 186 visas, with concessions that scale with the farm's regional category
Eligible occupations
Only two occupations can be nominated, and neither exists in ANZSCO: Home Affairs directs sponsors to use code 070499 in ImmiAccount. The tasks of each occupation are set out in full on the Home Affairs page.
Occupations Covered
Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker and Dairy Cattle Farm Operator (no ANZSCO code; nominated under code 070499)
The request process
The request follows the standard labour agreement sequence described on our labour agreements page: the agreement is requested in ImmiAccount on the Department's template terms, and nominations and visas follow once it is signed.
What the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement provides
The Dairy Industry Labour Agreement covers Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker and Dairy Cattle Farm Operator, for a temporary stay of up to four years or permanent residence. Home Affairs states there is no ANZSCO code for either occupation and that code 070499 is used when nominating in ImmiAccount. The visas are the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494), and the Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) after a three year transition period.
Concessions vary with the farm’s designated regional location. For the subclass 482 visa, English is IELTS 5.0 overall with at least 4.0 in each component in a Category 1 location, and 5.0 overall with no component minimum in Category 2 and 3 locations; the subclass 186 visa requires 5.0 overall with 4.5 in each component in all categories; the subclass 494 visa requires 5.0 with no component minimum in Category 2 and 3 locations. Subclass 186 and 494 applicants in Category 2 and 3 locations must be under 55 at the time of application, while Category 1 applicants meet the standard age rule. In Category 3 locations, earnings can be as low as 90% of the TSMIT for the subclass 494 visa or 90% of the CSIT for the subclass 482 and 186 visas.
A Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker needs an AQF Certificate III or equivalent with at least two years of recent relevant experience, or three years of recent relevant experience; a Dairy Cattle Farm Operator needs an AQF Certificate II or III or one year of experience in lieu. Visa-level work experience minimums vary by location and subclass and are set out in Schedule 4 of the dairy agreement template. These figures come from the Home Affairs page as read on 25 September 2026.
Visa Plan Lawyers and the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement
Visa Plan Lawyers checks the farm's regional category before a dairy request is lodged, since it decides which English, age and salary concessions apply, and prepares the request, nominations and subclass 482, 494 and 186 applications against the Department's template.
Reviewed by Visa Plan Lawyers · Last updated: September 2026 · Agreement terms are set by the Department of Home Affairs and change without notice. General information only, not legal advice.