Tasmania's Poppy Industry
Tasmania's pharmaceutical poppy industry
Pharmaceutical poppies have been grown commercially in Tasmania since 1966.
Over the decades since, Tasmania has developed specialist expertise in poppy production and processing and established an internationally recognised pharmaceutical agricultural industry.
Tasmanian poppies are commercial agricultural crops grown under licence specifically for pharmaceutical purposes.
Purpose
A crop grown for medicine
Pharmaceutical poppies contain naturally occurring chemical compounds known as alkaloids.
These include compounds such as morphine, codeine and thebaine.
After harvest, poppy material is processed under controlled conditions and compounds are extracted for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The crop grown in Tasmanian paddocks is therefore the agricultural beginning of a much larger pharmaceutical supply chain.
On farm
Growing poppies in Tasmania
Poppies are generally grown as part of a broader farming enterprise rather than as a farm's only crop.
They can form part of rotations alongside other crops and agricultural activities.
Production begins with paddock preparation and sowing during winter and spring. Crops develop through spring and summer before flowering and producing capsules.
Once the crop matures and dries, it is mechanically harvested and transported to licensed processing facilities.
Like any agricultural crop, production is influenced by soil, weather, irrigation, disease, agronomy and the skill of the grower.
Interactive process
From paddock to pharmaceutical production
Open each step to see how a regulated crop moves through the supply chain.
Contract
Before commercial production begins, a grower contracts with a licensed pharmaceutical poppy processor.
Licence
The grower must hold the appropriate Tasmanian poppy grower's licence.
Planting
The crop is established on approved agricultural land.
Growing
Farmers manage the crop through its growing season using normal agricultural practices and crop-specific agronomy.
Harvest
Mature poppy crops are mechanically harvested.
Processing
Harvested material is transported to licensed processing facilities.
Pharmaceutical supply
Alkaloids recovered from the crop enter controlled pharmaceutical manufacturing supply chains.
Regulation
A tightly regulated crop
Pharmaceutical poppies differ from most agricultural crops because the alkaloids they contain require strict controls around production and handling.
Commercial growers in Tasmania require both a contract with a licensed processing company and a poppy grower's licence.
The Poppy Advisory and Control Board forms part of Tasmania's regulatory system, with government and processors having additional responsibilities throughout the industry.
PGT represents growers within this system. It does not issue licences or regulate poppy cultivation.
Tasmanian Government poppy industry informationImportant information
Public safety
Commercial pharmaceutical poppies must never be eaten or used without authorisation.
Crude poppy material can contain dangerous concentrations of alkaloids and can cause serious poisoning.
Commercial poppy paddocks are subject to security requirements and warning signage. Members of the public should not enter crops or interfere with poppy plants.
Detailed safety and regulatory advice is available from the Tasmanian Government.
Tasmanian Government poppy safety informationGlobal supply chain
An industry with global reach
Tasmania has developed an international reputation for pharmaceutical poppy production over more than half a century.
The Tasmanian Government identifies Tasmania as the world's largest producer of licit alkaloid material and reports that the state supplies almost half of global demand.
Behind that international supply chain are Tasmanian growers, farming families, contractors, agricultural suppliers, researchers and processors.