Snails become barley export frustration

Chinese frustrations with the number of snails in barley consignments from Australia have threatened to halt exports to the world's largest importer of malt barley, highlighting the delicate nature of market access negotiations.

Grains Industry Market Access Forum executive manager Tony Russell said working closely with customers was critical in retaining access to key markets.

"These seemingly small things can have big implications," Mr Russell said at the recent Australian Grains Industry Conference.

"We've worked really hard to get access to certain markets, such as reopening canola exports into China after they banned our exports over fears of (the fungal disease) blackleg.

"That alone has been worth $1.15 billion to our canola industry, but retaining market access in all crop types is something we constantly need to be working on."

The snail situation has been a particularly big problem in exports from South Australia where snails occur in greater numbers.

The problem has become so significant that China has taken the steps of banning exports from certain exporters.

Grain Producers Australia chairman Andrew Weidemann said it was hurting growers in the areas with high snail numbers.

"Exporters are refusing to accumulate in problem areas and that obviously means less competition for grain for the growers there," Mr Weidemann said.

Mr Russell said the industry needed to work together to deliver a suitable product for the Chinese market.

"They are not happy with what our industry management plan delivers and want greater focus on snail management," he said.

Mr Russell said the first step would be to work towards standardised testing systems in Australia and China.

"There are issues such as snails migrating to the edge of a cargo, which, if the sample is just around the edges, inflates the numbers," he said.

In the longer term, he said Australian graingrowers needed to have a better understanding of what the Chinese buyers wanted and to react to that.

"It may come in the form of changing harvest practices or on-farm pest management, we could even see a change in farmer delivery receival standards," he said.

Mr Weidemann said the farming community needed to recognise these market signals.

"At the end of the day, there is no clearer market signal than a refusal to buy our product, we might not like it but we have to do things differently,'' he said.

"There's going to be fierce competition internationally to export grain this year so we need all markets available.

"We've been speaking to the Chinese and they are adamant they don't want snails."

He said the industry was looking at possibly lowering the number of snails allowable at delivery.

Mr Weidemann echoed Mr Russell's calls for uniform sampling techniques at loading and unloading points to avoid misunderstandings.

It is not just snails causing concern.

There was a high profile controversy early last year, again concerning China, in regards to Australia's sorghum exports, then at historic high levels, when China threatened to stop imports due to the presence of the weed Johnson grass.

India has a strong zero tolerance stance on the presence of ergot fungi which said the Australian industry needed to be aware of, Mr Russell said.