Butler's Berry Farm owner Donald Butler says berry producers have it tough with food safety regulations and being undercut in the frozen berry market by international exporters.

A large South Canterbury berry farmer claims cheap imported product and New Zealand's food safety regulations are combining to make life difficult for the country's growers.

Butler's Berry Farm owner Donald Butler said looser import standards which allow overseas exporters to get frozen produce into NZ for a fraction of the price were part of the problem.

"One of the growers was saying they [overseas exporters] can bring over some fruits for $2 a kilogram.

"There is not enough being done to support local growers," Butler said.

While Horticulture New Zealand says product of origin labelling would see Kiwis buy local and make it easier on growers, Butler, who operates a 60 hectare berry farm south of Makikihi in the Waimate district, believed NZ growers were "being punished for having good practice."

Long-time berry grower Butler said NZ growers had to "jump hurdles" and endure a "rigmarole of regulations" in order to adhere to Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) to reach NZ shop shelves.

"I think this is a issue across the nation, talking to other growers at markets we are hearing the same thing."

He said reaching the criteria threshold for GAP required "a lot of money and time".

"That affects prices.

"The more this goes on the more it is going to make it harder for growers to make money."

Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman believed Butler's concerns could be addressed if produce had mandatory country of origin stickers.

The organisation had marked this as a priority as part of its pre-election manifesto, he said.

"A survey was conducted and it said 70 per cent of New Zealanders wanted to know where their food came from and wanted to buy local.

"You can't make an informed decision [without it].

"The way to resolve this is to give the consumers the information, and that comes under country of origin. In Australia consumers proudly support that."

Imported produce only had to pass health standards to be brought and that did not take into account the cost of labour to get the produce.

Berry grower and Strawberry Growers New Zealand South Island representative Allan Warren said NZ growers could not compete with imported frozen produce.

"I don't know of any strawberry grower in the south that is providing processed fruit towards products.

"I just throw my process grade fruit out," Warren said.

Process grade fruit was product that was not suitable to be sold fresh, instead it could be used as a frozen fruit or in other products.

The cost of paying pickers was more than it cost international exporters to get the frozen strawberries over here, he said.

He had heard of Chinese frozen strawberries being imported for as little as $1 a kilogram to be used in New Zealand products.

"Once upon a time I used to sell 20 tonne of frozen strawberries. Now our picking cost is more than what they [importers] pay for the whole thing.

Overseas competition was not an issue for fresh berries because international imports were only available in the off-season for New Zealand varieties, he said.