Australian grain producers and handlers continue to demonstrate a high degree of good agricultural practice, achieving 99.2 per cent compliance in the National Residue Survey (NRS) 2019/20 Grains.
The NRS is an essential part of Australia's pesticide and veterinary medicine residue management framework providing verification of good agricultural practice in support of chemical control-of-use legislation and guidelines.
It operates within the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and since 1992 has been funded by industries through levies and direct contracts.
NRS programs monitor the levels of, and associated risks from, pesticides and veterinary medicine residues and contaminants in Australian food products.
"The programs help to facilitate and encourage ongoing access to domestic and export markets," the 19/20 NRS Grains document stated.
"NRS supports Australia's primary producers and food processors who provide quality animal, grain and horticulture products which meet both Australian and relevant international standards."
The NRS grains program covers cereal grains (barley, maize, oat, sorghum, triticale, wheat, wheat durum), pulses (chickpea, cowpea, faba bean, field pea, lentil, lupin, mung bean, navy bean, pigeon pea, soybean and vetch), and oilseeds (canola, linseed, safflower, sunflower).
The milled fractions of wheat, wheat durum, soybean and maize are included in the milled grains program.
On average, approximately 6000 grain samples are collected per annum at bulk export terminals, container export packers, oilseed crushers, feed mills, flour mills, feedlots and food processors.
"The number of samples collected is influenced by Australian production levels and export markets," the document stated.
"Once collected, grain samples are freighted to the contract laboratory for analysis.
"All data collected is entered into the NRS Information Management System (IMS) and residue testing reports are automatically generated for program participants."
In 2019-20, a total of 4231 samples were collected for analysis, the results were compared with the Australian standards and export samples were compared with the relevant international standards.
"The results highlight excellent compliance with Australian standards and demonstrate the strong commitment of the grains industry to good agricultural practice," the document stated.
"The consistently high compliance rates help maintain the reputation and integrity of Australian grains in international and domestic markets."
The NRS maintains information on maximum residue limits (MRLs) that apply for Australia and major export markets for industries supported by the NRS.
All analysis results are checked for compliance with Australian standards and relevant international MRLs.
