By Grain Producers Australia Research, Development and Extension Spokesperson Andrew Weidemann
Australian grain growers could be set back 30 years if proposed changes to the use of two key herbicides are realised, but pulling at the heart strings of decision makers will not make a difference to the final outcome.
Instead, it will be safety and environmental impacts to humans, animals and the environment that guide the decisions of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Authority (APVMA).
The herbicides in question, paraquat and diquat, form a part of weed control strategies, can be used as a desiccant for pulses ahead of harvest and are vital to minimum-till practices relied to conserve soil structure.
Proposed changes to these herbicides, which are open for consultation by the regulator until October 29, are connected to risk assessments, highlighting bird and native animal toxicology concerns from research originating from Europe.
Countering these arguments for the future of all agricultural industries is going to be imperative, which means groups such as Grain Producers Australia, and grain producers as individuals, must collectively take up the task and submit to the APVMA.
But to be effective in influencing the outcome, our submissions must relate to the scientific information used and methods of the assessments conducted by the APVMA.
In this situation, the story of agriculture and the social and economic ramifications of these changes will hold little to no weight.
Farmers being forced to consider reverting to tillage practices to help control weeds and likely contributing to glyphosate resistance, with only this herbicide left in their toolbox, is not relevant to this consultation.
The fact we would also be faced with losing soil moisture to evaporation, be subject to increased erosion due to soil disturbance and most likely lose out significantly in crop yield gains made over the past few decades as a result, also holds no substance.
Similarly, neither does the current conversation led by ABC reporting that calls for a ban on paraquat use, linking Parkinson's disease with exposure to the chemical and relying on questionable science to back the assertions.
Statutory considerations against which the APVMA assesses products includes four key criteria from their guiding legislation.
These include:
Safety - to humans, animals and the environment
Efficacy - performance of the product
Trade - residues and maximum residue limit access
Labelling - does the label reflect contemporary use patterns while managing risks
The risk assessment carried out by the APVMA is arguably making very conservative exposure assumptions without delving into the Australian context and our use patterns.
Growers can help inform individual submissions by including on-farm spray records on your practical use, rates and timing of these chemicals.
Also of use, would be including information from bird or mammal surveys in your local area illustrating the co-existence of wildlife with broadacre farming.
Grain Producers Australia is developing a submissions guide which will point to scientific resources and provide advice on crafting submissions.
Join us for an online information session on Thursday, September 26, from 7.30pm AEST where GPA interim chief executive Pete Arkle and myself will provide guidance and resources to inform relevant and meaningful responses to the APVMA.
A recording of the webinar and submission guide will be available on www.grainproducers.com.au for future reference.
This article was first published on The Land, 22 September, 2024: HERE
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