Australia: Malting barley growers urged not to use chemicals close to harvest for fear of health risks and damage to Australia’s entire barley industry

Barley growers are being urged not to use glyphosate herbicide to desiccate crops and control weeds close to harvest, the Australian Weekly Times Now published on October, 9.

Experts warn that the practice may pose health risks to end users of the grain, damaging important export markets.

Department of Primary Industries barley industry development officer Mary Raynes said the practice of late applications of herbicides for weed management and crop desiccation had been known to occur in Canada and Australia.

"Chemical residues from off-label or inappropriate use of chemicals on barley crops can have serious consequences for Australian growers and export markets," Ms Raynes said.

Doug Stewart, technical manager of Joe White Maltings in Adelaide, said Heineken International principal scientist Albert Doderer had expressed serious concerns that chemicals such as glyphosate might be applied to barley crops when the grain was still actively filling.

"Glyphosate has the potential to form nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic," Dr Stewart said.

Dr Stewart said Dr Doderer was actively campaigning against off-label use of chemicals for malting barley.

He was sending a worldwide message that it was a serious issue and Heineken did not want to buy grain that contain chemical residue.

Dr Stewart said it was important that all chemicals applied to barley crops were registered for the application and that label rates and withholding periods were strictly followed.

"Growers planning to desiccate barley crops to control weeds with the intention of marketing the grain for human consumption, either domestically or overseas, are strongly urged to follow label recommendation and withholding periods, not only to protect the Australian export market but also the entire Australian barley industry," Dr Stewart said.

Ms Raynes said that the Federal Government regulated the use of agrichemicals for grain crops by setting maximum residue limits (MRLs), and all grain receival companies were bound by this regulation.

"When grain is delivered to a receival site and the grower signs a weight note, the grower is signing a statutory declaration confirming the grain has only been exposed to registered products," she said.

"In terms of affecting overseas markets, if a chemical is not licensed for use on a crop, then its delivery is illegal."

10 October, 2008