PLEASE NOTE: This edition of the Chemical Industry News has been updated due to an error excluding manual hand-held devices from the wind speed and wind direction record keeping requirements.

Please enjoy reading this edition and disregard the last email.

• Know your record keeping responsibilities
• Fertilizer Australia launches labelling awareness campaign
• Maximum residue limits explained
• Have you considered how your chemical set-up can keep everyone safe?
• Home garden chemical reminder
• Understanding chemical impact on beneficial insects in grain paddocks

Agriculture Victoria (AgVic) is taking stronger enforcement action on individuals that do not comply with chemical record keeping requirements.

In recent times, AgVic has seen an increase in chemical users failing to keep the required records for agricultural chemical use. Keeping agricultural chemical use records is not only a legal requirement in Victoria; it is also best practice for growers.

Good record keeping provides useful information that can:

• assist users with their business,
• allows users to keep track of chemical use
• demonstrate that a duty of care was taken when applying chemicals, which also provides a good defence if facing accusations of misuse (e.g., spray drift of chemicals onto neighbouring crops or houses).

Good record keeping also makes rotating through different Modes of Action easier. This is important to growers in implementing management strategies for pesticide resistance.

The main issues were failing to; record wind speed and direction, use full product trade name, and record the application rate. Some growers only recorded incomplete trade names, e.g., copper, which does not contain sufficient information to identify the individual product used. Other growers were found recording the quantity of chemical applied, but not the application rate, which should be recorded as per the label e.g., 100ml/100L.

It is compulsory to record the following records within 48 hours of using an agricultural chemical product. Records must be kept for two years from the date of use.

1. Product trade name
2. Date the product was used
3. Application rate of the product or information to allow calculation of rate of application
4. Crop/commodity that was treated (e.g., pasture, apples) or the situation in which the product was applied (e.g., roadway, channel spraying)
5. Specific location where the product was used (e.g., paddock name)
6. Wind speed and direction at the time of application*
7. Name and contact details of the person applying the chemical
8. If applicable, the name and contact details of the person supervising the application of the chemical
9. If applicable, the name and contact details of the person for whom the application was carried out 

* only required where a product is being sprayed outdoors 

There are also record keeping requirements which apply to individuals who use certain veterinary chemical products to treat stock animals, and the use of baits for pest animal control. Information on all aspects of chemical use records can be found on www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/chemicals

You can keep records in a format that suits your individual business (e.g., hand written, computer generated, included in your quality assurance program records). The only requirements are that they contain all the required information, are clear, accurate and must be readily available to an Agriculture Victoria authorised officer upon request.

For more information on agricultural chemical record keeping and downloadable record keeping templates, visit www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/chemicals

Fertilizer Australia has launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the importance of fertiliser labelling. The campaign aims to educate horticultural growers, industry bodies and rural retailers on identifying the correct labelling of fertilisers and the potential consequences of purchasing products that do not have the correct labelling.

The campaign will predominantly be rolled out through social media and via direct communication over the coming months. Read the media release here.

Agriculture Victoria (Ag Vic) has a long history of monitoring for pesticide residues in fresh produce grown in Victoria. These residues are compared to standards known as maximum residue limits (MRLs). These MRLs are set for agricultural and veterinary chemicals that are likely to remain in fresh produce, particularly produce entering the food chain.

MRLs are set at concentrations which are not likely to be exceeded provided the agricultural or veterinary (agvet) chemicals are used in accordance with an approved label or APVMA permit instructions. The setting of MRLs includes a dietary exposure evaluation to ensure residues do not pose an undue hazard to human health.

Ag Vic is responsible for regulating the use of agvet chemicals in Victoria. Residue results from the testing of fresh produce grown in Victoria are assessed against several different sets of MRLs.

In Victoria, there are three sets of MRLs that are considered. These are:

• An MRL set by Ag Vic via an Order in Council. If the department has an Order in Council, an MRL is set to support the enforcement of this Order. There are currently no MRLs set in this category.
• MRLs set by the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). These MRLs are set only for chemicals registered for use in Australia. A residue not complying with this standard may indicate the misuse of an agvet chemical.
• MRLs set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) in the Food Standards Code (FSC). These MRLs are set to assist both domestic and international trade. FSANZ assesses agvet chemical residues in the diet and works closely with the APVMA on these assessments. FSANZ is also responsible for considering requests to harmonise MRLs with those set by other countries.

When a residue is reported to Ag Vic, a process is followed to determine if the produce is contaminated or not. The process involves checking the reported residues against each of the MRL lists above. If the residue concentration is greater than an MRL or there is no relevant MRL from all the lists, the produce is considered contaminated.

It is an offence for contaminated produce to be sold or to be offered for sale.

WorkSafe Victoria has launched several case studies and farm safety videos as part of their Farmer stories series. A focus on safe chemical use is featured in a few of the case studies and videos.

One business featuring chemical safety management, Seeka Australia, operates nine orchards and two post-harvest facilities in North East Victoria. Seeka Australia has had to implement innovative ways to ensure the safety of staff when handling agricultural chemicals.

To find out more about this stories and others relating to chemical use, visit worksafe.vic.gov.au/farmer-stories

Users of home garden products are reminded to ensure they use, store and dispose of chemicals appropriately.

Due to the small quantities of chemicals needed to treat an issue in a home garden, it is common for these chemicals to be stored for a long time. The legal use of chemicals can change over time, particularly if they have been the subject of a review by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).

The storage of chemicals in unlabelled, non-original containers is an illegal practice. Anytime chemicals are stored in a non-original container, the chemical must be accurately identifiable. This could be achieved by attaching a copy of the original label onto the container. Accidental poisoning caused by people drinking pesticides from unlabelled containers can result in severe injury or death.

Use of restricted use chemicals in home gardens

In Victoria, chemical products labelled as Schedule 7 or ‘Dangerous Poison’ are Restricted Use Chemicals. A person must have completed appropriate training and must be authorised to use these chemical products.

It is illegal to use Restricted Use Chemicals unless a specific permit has been issued by Agriculture Victoria.

There are label statements on these products that prohibit their use in home gardens. These statements are there to protect the general public. Even authorised people must not use these products in home gardens due to the label restrictions unless an Agriculture Victoria permit has been issued.

Commercial Licence requirements

A person in Victoria operating a business which includes providing services in agricultural chemical spraying in commercial or agricultural situations is legally obliged to hold an Agriculture Victoria Commercial Operators Licence (COL).

This includes landscaping and gardening businesses applying chemicals in a situation other than a home garden. If a landscape or gardening business is only using chemicals which state for home garden use or for use around dwellings on the label, then a COL is not required.

Just like engaging a licenced electrician or plumber it is in the general public’s interest that people using chemicals in commercial situations have been appropriately trained.

Beneficial insects play an important role in farming. It is now easier than ever to understand how and what chemistries are best to protect these 'paddock helpers.’

Healthy populations of beneficial insects can suppress pests. Grain growers are keen to preserve these natural helpers, but integrated pest management programs have been challenging. This is due to no integrated, scientifically proven guide explaining the impact commonly used insecticides have on beneficials.

Read the media release here.

Visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/chemicals for information about:

• rules and regulations on the use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals in Victoria
• licence and permit application forms
• agricultural chemical control areas.

For enquiries 136 186 or email chemical.standards@agriculture.vic.gov.au

You are receiving this email as someone who may have an interest in the Victorian Government’s Chemical Industry News, which will be distributed quarterly. 

Your email address may have been collected for purposes other than receiving information of this type from the Victorian Government. If you do not wish to receive the Chemical Industry News e-newsletter, please click on unsubscribe link in the footer of this email.