NSW Farmers Association - Priority Issue 1

Committee Members
Ian McColl
chair
Andrew Forrest
Alan Brown
Peter Darley

NSW Farmers'
Association Staff
E nswfarmers@
nswfarmers.org.au

P 02 8251 1700
F 02 8251 1750

Member Service
Centre
1300 794 000

1. Agricultural chemical drift management

The APVMA’s recent final review report on 2,4-d has proposed to deregister a number of high volatile 2,4-d ester formulations. NFF have supplied the APVMA with an ‘expert reviewer’s assessment’ from a Sydney University academic. It seems likely that the APVMA will not be swayed from their proposed actions and will go ahead with the de-registration.

The APVMA released its final draft report on drift management, “Operating Principles and Proposed Registration Requirements in Relation to Spray Drift Risk” in July 2006. This document has the potential to mould all policy from APVMA on the review of existing chemicals and their uses as well as assessment of all new registrations.

The Association has been working closely with NFF, Cotton Australia and the grains and horticulture sectors to address the issues which have arisen out of the crop damage incidents and which could adversely impact the APVMA Review findings. Cotton Australia is involved with a taskforce which is currently developing an education program for the minimisation of spray drift. The taskforce includes GRDC, CRDC (Cotton Research & Development Corporation), and Cotton Australia.

A major forum focused on spray drift issues was run by the Association in May 2006 and outcomes from the forum are to be actioned over the next 12 months in conjunction with industry stakeholders. A follow-up meeting was held in March 2007 by the Association’s training arm and key messages and communication channels for members and industry concerning drift identified.

The key objective for this priority area is:

• Develop a strategy to ensure farmers maintain best management practices of agricultural chemicals

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1. Agricultural chemical drift management