2 October 2007
Pesticide Residue and Containers
All grain exports are required to meet the importing country’s quarantine and health requirements including chemical maximum residue limits (MRL). As you may be aware the Wheat Export Authority (WEA) recently accredited grain packers under the non-bulk wheat quality assurance scheme for exporting wheat in containers and bags.
While participation in the National Residue Survey (NRS) is not compulsory, it is recommended. Participation in the NRS is at no cost to your organisation. It represents an independent testing and verification service for residue levels in wheat and other grain shipments and provides added confidence to exporters and importers alike. It can also be used as an adjunct to your Quality Assurance operations as a packer.
Further information about the NRS can be obtained from:
Kevin Healy
NRS Plant Program Manager
Telephone: 02 6272 3436
Ian Reichstein
NRS Director
Telephone: 02 6271 6642
The Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) urges you to make use of the NRS services. Samples collected from your facility would be analysed for pesticide residues and the results forwarded to you. This would permit you to consider those analytical results in relation to market access requirements, and allow you to compare them with your own QA program for verification purposes. The NRS maintains grains maximum residue limit (MRL) tables for many importing countries. The MRL tables can be used to verify that the residue status of your wheat or other grain meets the importing country MRLs. The webpage can be found at http://www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/nrs/industry-info/mrl
The NRS Plant Program delivered by DAFF comes at no cost to your company, helps protect the reputation of Australian wheat and grain exports, and is an independent source of information about residue levels in an export shipment should a dispute arise with the importing country.
Bill Magee
General Manager
Telephone: 02 6272 3436
Product Safety and Integrity Branch
Contact Officer: Kevin Healy
Telephone: 02 6272 3436