Managing Farm Chemical Risks in Australia

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Managing Farm Chemical Risks in Australia

• Roger B Toffolon
• Program Leader,
• Chemical Risk Management

Australia China Agricultural Forum University of
Western Sydney 24-26 November 2003
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What are agricultural chemicals?

• agricultural chemicals includes
• insecticides
• fungicides
• herbicides
• chemicals used to control vertebrate pests
• attractants, repellents
• additives

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What are veterinary chemicals?

• Includes chemicals that are used on animals and
  livestock to
• cure or prevent disease
• modify the physiology of an animal including its
  productivity, development or reproductive
  capacity
• change its behaviour.

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Multiple tiers of risk management
National Control

• Risk assessment of new chemicals and uses
• Control the supply of chemicals
• National policies for chemical management
• Maintain access to markets and facilitate trade
• Control how chemicals are used
• Enforce controls that protect the environment and
  the health of consumers, the community and farm
  workers

National and State
State Control
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Regulating the supply of chemicals

• agricultural and veterinary chemicals can only be
  supplied if they are registered
• chemicals are registered by the Australian
  Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
  (APVMA)
• the APVMA carries out a risk assessment of data
  supplied by the manufacturer to determine the
  safety of the chemical against five criteria
• before chemicals are registered the APVMA must be
  satisfied a chemical meets five criteria

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The APVMA must be satisfied that
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What are the international trade issues?

• APVMA must be satisfied that the international
  trade issues arising from the use of the chemical
  on produce are manageable
• different food standards and maximum residue
  limits (MRL) apply in different countries
• different MRLs reflect different agricultural
  practices
• need to meet the standards of the importing
  country
• producers must consider MRLs when making chemical
  selections.

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What about the off-label use of agricultural
chemicals?

• off label uses can involve significant risks
• any off label uses must be assessed and approved
• off-label uses are assessed against the same
  criteria as registered on-label use patterns
• residue data required for new crops to set MRL
• off label approval can be issued for
• minor uses including minor crops
• emergency uses, or
• for research purposes

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Regulating the use of agricultural chemicals
Pesticides Act 1999

• the user must follow the directions on the label
• agricultural chemicals must not be used in a
  manner that causes
• damage to property
• harm to non target plants or animals
• injury to another person
• harm to wildlife
• spray drift is the most common cause of
  contamination
• all chemical users must be trained
• producers must keep records of all chemicals used

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• New requirements for making records of all
  agricultural chemical applications
• Need to ensure that all growers are aware of new
  regulatory requirements including growers of
  non-English speaking backgrounds

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Regulating the use of veterinary chemicalsStock
Medicines Act

• only registered products can be used on food
  producing animals
• producers must follow the directions on the label
• but veterinarians can prescribe off-label use for
  food producing animals
• veterinarians must provide the user with clear
  instructions for any off-label use

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Protecting workers from harm

• most pesticides are hazardous substances
• employers must provide a safe workplace
• carry out a risk assessment to identify problems
• chemicals must be properly stored and records
  kept
• supply personal protective equipment
• provide material safety data sheets and other
  information
• training of employees
• workers must follow safe practices

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Protecting consumers and food safety

• standards set for contaminants and chemicals in
  food
• food that does not meet standards must not be
  supplied
• chemical residues not generally a food safety
  issue but can affect public confidence in the
  quality and wholesomeness of food
• microbiological contamination a bigger food
  safety issue

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Reducing risks without Regulation

• supply chain quality assurance schemes are
  becoming increasingly important in delivering
  quality products
• training in risk management for chemical users
• good advice from NSW Agriculture on
• chemical selections
• adoption of best practices for chemical
  application
• reduce dependence on chemical controls and
  adoption of integrated pest management

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Good advisory publications and access to
information ensures that growers have the tools
to manage risk in the most efficient way