Before using chemicals

Ask yourself:

• Have you identified the insect, weed or disease?
• Is chemical control necessary? Are there other methods of control?
• What's nearby? Are there neighbouring crops, bodies of water, or sensitive areas such as schools?
• What are your intended markets for the produce? Are there additional restrictions on chemicals that can be used?

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) PubCRIS database lets you search for information about registered agvet chemical products. This database includes the product name, registering company, active constituents, product category, and host and pest information. Once you find a product in PubCRIS, in most cases, you will also be able to see a copy of the product's label.

Other resources to help you identify pests or diseases include private consultants, veterinarians, the Queensland Government grower help desk (GrowHelp), or specialists located at Biosecurity Queensland research stations.

Off-label permits

You can search for information on minor use permits and emergency use permits on the APVMA permits database.

If there are no products registered or permitted to control the pest or disease in a particular situation, you can apply for a permit from the APVMA.

Also consider...

• Learn how to reduce chemical expenses and waste in the Great Barrier Reef catchment areas.
• Contact our Customer Service Centre.
• Find out more about APVMA.

When registering chemicals, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) evaluates the effectiveness of the chemical and the impacts to human health, crops, animals and the environment.

Where there are increased risks to human health, the environment and trade, additional controls are applied through restrictions on how and where products can be used.

Certain chemical products have been declared restricted chemical products (RCPs) because of the special training and other occupational safety requirements needed for handling or using these chemicals.

To use chemicals responsibly, you must follow the instructions on the registered product label or permit issued by APVMA:

• use the correct, registered product
• follow the instructions on the label
• read the material data safety sheet
• use the correct equipment to apply the chemicals
• make sure you have the correct licence and permit, if one is required
• understand and meet your work health and safety obligations
• keep accurate records.

Minimising off-target spray drift

Agricultural chemicals may become airborne and drift outside the intended area when sprayed - this should be avoided. Spray drift can damage plants, environment, property and the health of animals and people.

Herbicide application techniques

Depending on the species you're trying to control, and other factors, some techniques for applying herbicides to control weeds and vegetative growth are more suitable than others.

Techniques include:

• foliar spraying
• basal bark spraying
• stem injection
• cut stump
• cut and swab
• stem scraper
• wick applicators.

Pest animal control techniques

Choose the most appropriate application method for the situation:

• baiting for vertebrate pests
• fumigation of warrens
• spraying for locusts
• using rodenticides on crops.

Chemical residues

Agricultural and veterinary chemicals break down after application but some residues do remain on crops or in animals. It is important to follow the withholding period to make sure the residues are not at unacceptable levels. The National Residue Survey monitors chemical residues in food products.

Residue monitoring programs support access to key export markets and confirm Australia's status as a producer of clean food. These programs encourage good agricultural practices, help to identify any potential problems and indicate where corrective action may be required.

Learn more about:

• guarding against chemical residues in stock from drought feeds
• reducing the risk of chemical residues in livestock.

Managing the risks of chemicals and contaminants

You can manage the risk of unacceptable chemical residues by using chemicals according to the instructions on the label or permit.

Biosecurity Queensland, in conjunction with other government agencies, develops and implements monitoring, detection and management programs to further manage the risks posed by chemical residues.

Learn more about monitoring and regulating chemical residues and contaminants.

Biosecurity Queensland also runs veterinary and chemical residue laboratories.

Also consider...

• Learn more about types of herbicides.
• Read about Queensland Health's role in pest management activities.
• Learn about integrated pest management strategies.
• Read about exporting organic and bio-dynamic goods.
• Visit the Australasian Biological Control.
• Learn about national vendor declarations and waybills.
• Learn about residues from chemicals used to control locusts (PDF, 570KB).
• Learn about safe use, storage and disposal of rural chemicals.
• Learn how to reduce chemical expenses and waste in the Great Barrier Reef catchment areas.

Rodenticides are safe when used correctly

Agricultural chemicals, including rodenticides, are legitimate and useful tools that support the productivity, quality and safety of Queensland's food and fibre industries.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) will only register products or grant permits if:

• assessments demonstrate that the product works as intended
• the scientific data confirms that when used in accordance with instruction that it will have no harmful or unintended effects on people, animals, the environment or international trade.

Agricultural chemicals must be used in a legal, safe and efficient manner. Misuse of chemical products can cause harm to humans, off-target animals, trade and the environment.

Penalties for misuse

Strict adherence to instructions for use on product labels or under the conditions of a permit is a legal requirement.

Penalties of up to $97,000 apply to persons who apply a chemical contrary to label instructions.

Misuse of chemical product in contravention of label instructions is an offence under the Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Act 1988.

Follow the label instructions

The approved labels provide the necessary information on safety, use and disposal of rodenticides.

Baits containing rodenticides should always be used in accordance with approved label instructions or conditions of permits issued by the APVMA.

Choose the correct product and application

A range of rodenticides are approved for use in or around industrial, commercial agricultural and domestic buildings.

The most common application method for the control of rodents is the laying of baits and bait stations containing a rodenticide. The baits provide little chance of contamination of food or food producing areas in commercial or domestic buildings.

Providing these rodenticides are applied in accordance with label instructions, it should not lead to direct application to food or crops that could be used for food or stock feed.

Most of these products are not approved for use in crops and the labels contain the strict instruction 'DO NOT apply bait to crops'.

Other common instructions on labels for these types of rodenticides can include:

• This bait is hazardous to pigs, cats, dogs, poultry, birds and wildlife.
• DO NOT place bait stations in the open.
• DO NOT place or store baits in locations which are accessible to domestic animals, livestock, birds or other animals.
• DO NOT allow baits to contaminate foodstuffs or food intended for human or animal consumption.

Use approved rodenticides in crops

There are only a limited range of rodenticides which are currently approved for use in cropping situations.

Fruit and vegetable crops

Banana plantations

• Zinc Phosphide (various products)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions

Mustard

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Pineapples

• Coumatetralyl (specific products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Strawberry

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Sweet potato

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions

Various vegetables under APVMA Permit PER93053

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Sugarcane

Sugarcane

• Coumatetralyl (specific products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Lodged sugarcane—aerially applied

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Nuts

Nuts

• Zinc Phosphide (various products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Macadamia

• Coumatetralyl (specific products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Field crops

Canola

• Zinc Phosphide (various products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Chickpeas

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions

Cotton

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Grain

• Zinc Phosphide (various products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Legumes

• Zinc Phosphide (various products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Mung beans

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Pasture

• Zinc Phosphide (various products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Safflower

• Zinc Phosphide (various products)
• Ensure products with relevant crop instructions on the approved label are used

Sorghum and forage sorghum

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Various open field crops under PER#93053

• Zinc Phosphide (specific products, APVMA Permit)
• Must be applied in strict accordance with permit conditions.

Consider other control methods

Rodents are normally only a problem when they have access to a palatable food source.

The most effective way to treat rodent problems is with a combined approach of different control methods, integrated with land management practices.

Control methods include:

• chemical (baiting)
• physical (trapping, barrier fencing, habitat modification, ultrasonic devices, repellents)
• biological.

More information

• Rodenticides: Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority

All agricultural pilots who apply agricultural chemicals by aircraft in a regulated area of Queensland must have a pilot chemical rating licence.

In many cases, a person who uses ground equipment to apply herbicides to control weeds on land that they do not own or occupy needs to be licensed.

The business for which these operators undertake the spraying is also required to be licensed.

A special permit is needed to apply certain volatile agricultural chemical products in declared hazardous areas.

In many areas of the state, the legislation that regulates these licences does not apply. The legislation mainly applies in southern, eastern and central regions of Queensland. In other areas, licences are not required.

If you are uncertain whether you need a licence, contact our Customer Service Centre.

Licences

• Aerial distribution of agricultural chemicals – information on the regulatory aspects.
• Ground distribution of herbicides – information on the regulatory aspects.
• How to obtain a commercial operator's licence.

Permits

• How to apply for a hazardous area herbicide distribution permit.

A range of controls apply to the use of veterinary chemical products to treat animals.

If you are not a veterinary surgeon, you can only use registered veterinary chemical products, or those approved under permit, on animals. Chemicals must be used according to label or permit instructions.

If you are a veterinary surgeon, you may vary the way the product can be used when:

• written instructions are given to the person in charge of the animal
• or
• a permit has been received from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).

Registered chemicals may only be used:

• in a way that is different from a restraint statement on an approved label to treat a single animal
• to inject a chemical when the label states it may be injected.

Food-producing (trade-species) animals

There are strict limitations on the variations allowed for use on food-producing animals, particularly cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens (major trade-species). These requirements reduce the potential risks to human health and trade arising from the use of chemicals on food- and fibre-producing animals.

The treated animals must be identified by either:

• tagging with an appropriate National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) device
• keeping them separate from other animals
• keeping written records during the treatment and withholding periods.

Records must be kept for at least 2 years.

You may only treat a single trade-species animal with compounded or unregistered veterinary chemicals.

Chemical products may be used contrary to label instructions on companion and trade-species animals other than cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens either:

• by the veterinary surgeon whose care they are under
• or
• under that veterinary surgeons written instructions.

Horses are not considered trade-species animals.

Major trade-species animals (cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens)

If a product is not registered for use on the animal you wish to treat, you may only use it if the label has instructions for use on another major trade-species animal.

Also consider...

• Find out how to submit samples for analysis to the Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory.
• Find out how to obtain and use National Vendor Declarations and waybills

You can manage the risk of unacceptable chemical residues and contaminants by:

• using chemicals according to the instructions on the label or permit
• ensuring that agricultural inputs such as animal feed and fertilisers do not have levels of contaminants above acceptable levels.

Grazing animals should also be managed in a way that restricts access to contaminated land or other places such as rubbish tips where contaminants may be present.

Failure to manage the risks from such chemicals and contaminants may constitute a failure to meet your general biosecurity obligation (GBO) under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Your GBO obliges you to minimise biosecurity risks that concern human health, the environment, and the economy.

Biosecurity Queensland works with other government agencies to develop programs to monitor and manage the risks posed by chemical residues and contaminants.

Chemical residues

Residues of agricultural or veterinary chemicals can occur due to direct chemical treatment of the plant or animal from which the product is derived. Residues may also occur because there has been a chemical treatment of some other material that is then taken in by the plant or animal.

Residues in meat or milk can also result from indirect chemical exposure if animals are fed grain or forage that has been treated with a pesticide. Unacceptable chemical residue levels should not occur if approved label instructions or permit conditions are strictly observed when the chemical is used.

Contaminants

Contaminants can accumulate in animals:

• grazing on contaminated land sites
• having access to rubbish tips or industrial wastes
• when poor quality feed ingredients or fertilisers are used.

Certain plant toxins can also contaminate animals that feed on plants producing those substances. Unacceptable levels of contaminants can end up in food and animal feed products.

Examples of these contaminants include:

• persistent organochlorine pesticides, such as dieldrin, DDT or heptachlor
• heavy metals such as cadmium, lead or mercury
• naturally occurring toxins such as aflatoxins and alkaloids
• contaminants occurring after industrial processes, such as dioxins (which can also occur naturally).

Sometimes residues of chemicals and contaminants are below acceptable Australian levels but can still cause concern. Even minute levels of chemicals and contaminants can affect trade and affect market access to countries where different or lower standards apply.

International standards

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) is attached to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Health Organisation. It sets international standards for food commodities and aims to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade arena.

National standards

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) share responsibilities in relation to maximum residue limits (MRLs).

The APVMA leads the process for setting MRLs for foods produced in Australia. The APVMA assesses Agvet chemicals for use and sets MRLs after evaluating a chemical product’s chemistry, metabolism, analytical methodology and residue trial data. Permitted limits are set well below the level that would be harmful, so a residue level slightly above the limit may indicate misuse but is very unlikely to pose a health risk. The APVMA MRL standard applies to domestically produced foods.

FSANZ also sets separate MRLs for Agvet chemicals in food products under schedule 20 to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code . Limits have been set under this standard where there is a potential risk to public health and safety if the prescribed limits are exceeded, and are used by Queensland Health to administer the Food Act 2006.

Queensland standards

The Biosecurity Regulation 2016 adopts the contaminant standards for heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine chemicals from schedule 19 and schedule 21 to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code as the acceptable levels for contaminants in animal and plant food commodities.

The Biosecurity Regulation 2016 also sets permitted levels for contaminants in animal feeds and fertilisers through the:

• Code of practice for feed for food producing animals
• Code of practice for the naming and describing of fertilisers and for the levels of contaminants in fertilisers.

The Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Regulation 2017 adopts the APVMA MRL standard as the maximum residue limits for human foods derived from agricultural produce and food-producing species animals.

Some of the residue limits are set in the legislation or are linked to the APVMA MRL standard. Contaminant residue levels are in the food standards code.

Monitoring residues and contaminants

FSANZ conducts the Australian Total Diet Survey, which monitors residues and contaminants in table-ready foods and estimates human dietary exposure to these chemicals.

The National Residue Survey monitors the residues and contaminants in food agricultural commodities intended for human consumption.

State, territory, retailer and grower groups also monitor residue levels in food commodities.

State agriculture agencies may also monitor residue and contaminant levels in animal feed and fertilisers.

National chemical residue monitoring programs

National Residue Survey

The National Residue Survey is funded by industry and administered by the Australian Government. A number of targeted programs are designed to specifically assess the levels of chemicals and contaminants in some commodities from areas or farms that have a higher risk of chemical residues and contaminants.

National Organochlorine Residue Management

The National Organochlorine Residue Management (NORM) program is a joint initiative of the Cattle Council of Australia, Australian Lot Feeders Association, state departments of primary industries (or equivalent), and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The program aims to reduce the occurrence of organochlorine chemical contaminants (such as dieldrin, DDT, heptachlor, and BHC) in beef products. These chemicals were legally used in the past as pest control agents in agricultural production systems and for termite control in farm and domestic buildings. They have been progressively banned from agriculture mainly because of their persistence in the environment and animal tissues.

National Antimicrobial Residue Minimisation

The National Antimicrobial Residue Minimisation (NARM) program is a joint initiative between the cattle industry and the Commonwealth and state governments. The program is coordinated by the National Residue Survey  and operates within states and territories under the control of SAFEMEAT.

The program aims to minimise antibacterial residues through quality assurance, extension, regulation and targeted testing of vealer (bobby) calves.

These programs aim to increase the awareness of producers, processors and other industry groups of the risk to trade associated with the detection of antibacterial residues above the MRL in meat. This increased awareness is designed to help the beef and veal industries to minimise antibacterial residue contamination levels of cows, feedlot cattle, bulls and bobby calves.

Chemical residue and contaminant surveillance

Biosecurity Queensland samples and analyses Queensland-produced agricultural produce to monitor and minimise the levels of chemical residues and contaminants in plant and animal products from Queensland.

Chemical and contaminant monitoring programs support access to markets and confirm Queensland's status as a producer of clean food. The programs encourage good agricultural practices, help to identify any potential problems and indicate where corrective action may be required.

Biosecurity Queensland takes targeted samples for laboratory analysis. If a sample is found to contain chemical residues or contaminant levels higher than the maximum acceptable levels, or residues from the use of an unregistered chemical, the commodity is traced back to its source. Investigation into the cause of the unacceptable levels of chemicals or contaminants, including the degree of compliance with the instructions on the registered product label or contaminant standards for feeds or fertilisers, is conducted.

Also consider...

• Learn about the Export Meat Program.
• Find out about SAFEMEAT risk assessment and alternative fodders.
• Learn about Biosecurity Queensland's veterinary and chemical residue laboratories.
• Learn how to reduce chemical expenses and waste in the Great Barrier Reef catchment areas.

All agricultural chemical users are responsible under the Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Regulation 2017 for ensuring that records of each chemical application are made.

Certain non-agricultural chemical uses, such as domestic use of agricultural chemical products and use of pool or spa treatment chemicals, are exempted from record keeping requirements under the legislation. For such purposes, domestic use of an agricultural chemical product refers to the application of chemical products that are:

• for household or home garden use
• available in a retail store where groceries are sold
• applied by hand or with a hand-operated device (e.g. a manually operated backpack sprayer)
• for non-commercial use.

Conversely, there are some additional obligations for use of prescribed herbicides in certain situations within specified Great Barrier Reef catchments.

Benefits of keeping records of agricultural chemical use

Records are an excellent management tool and provide an information source that can be used to:

• identify chemical use patterns
• analyse the effectiveness of chemicals
• assist in the design and implementation of integrated pest management programs
• assess chemical resistance strategies
• conduct financial planning and budgeting exercises
• meet legal obligations
• demonstrate due care and attention.

Types of records you must keep

The Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Regulation 2017 and the Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 collectively outline the types of records that must be made and kept for all agricultural chemical use.

All chemical users

Under the Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Regulation 2017 all users of agricultural chemicals must record:

• the full name and contact details, including address and telephone number, of:
  • the person who used the product
  • the owner or occupier of the land on which the product was used
  • anyone who was responsible for organising, overseeing or directly supervising the chemical use
• the qualifications of the user and anyone responsible for organising or directly supervising the chemical use
• sufficient particulars to identify the product or products used. Typically this would include the registered trade name of the product as found on the label, the registration number and label number assigned to the product by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, the name of the manufacturer of the chemical and the name and amount of the active constituent of the chemical
• details identifying the exact location of the land treated, including distance and directions from the nearest town site (e.g. the Real Property Description Number found on the rates notice for the property, together with a farm map detailing paddock names or numbers). Use of global positioning system (GPS) devices may also be helpful in determining and recording the exact location of the land treated
• the date or dates of the chemical application
• the equipment and methods used to apply the product (e.g. boomsprayer, handgun, type of nozzle used)
• details of weather conditions (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, amount of any rain) before, during and after the product was used and the times the observations were made. It is good practice to also note the time of any changes to conditions, such as the wind velocity and direction, during chemical application
• the rate at which the product was used (e.g. per hectare) or enough information to calculate the rate, for example, the quantity, concentration, total spray volume and total area with respect to the chemical application
• a description of the type of crop treated or a situation in which the chemical was used (e.g. roadsides, fallow)
• the purpose for which the chemical was applied (e.g. control of wild oats)
• any details stipulated in product label instructions or permit conditions.

Distribution contractor licence holders

In addition to the requirements for all chemical users, under the Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 distribution contractor licence holders are also required to keep records of the following:

• for aerial applications, the registration mark of the aircraft being used
• the total area covered by the chemical application
• description and amount of any diluent (e.g. water) or additives added to the spray mixture (e.g. wetting agents, spreaders or emulsifiers).

Agricultural ERAs in prescribed Great Barrier Reef catchments

Agricultural environmentally relevant activities (ERAs) are defined in the Environmental Protection Act 1994. Under the Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Regulation 2017, relevant sugarcane growing and relevant cattle grazing are a subset of agricultural ERAs to which additional record keeping requirements apply for the use of prescribed agricultural ERA products.

Relevant sugarcane growing and relevant cattle grazing mean commercial sugarcane growing and cattle grazing, respectively, that is an agricultural ERA and carried out in any of the following Great Barrier Reef catchments:

• the Wet Tropics Region
• the Burdekin Region
• the Mackay Whitsunday Region.

A prescribed agricultural ERA product means a product containing ametryn, atrazine, diuron, hexazinone or tebuthiuron.

In addition to the above record keeping requirements for all chemical users, for applications of prescribed agricultural ERA products (ametryn, atrazine, diuron or hexazinone for carrying out relevant sugarcane growing, or tebuthiuron for relevant cattle grazing), the records must also include:

• a receipt or other record of acquisition of the product
• a copy of any chemical application qualifications held by the chemical user.

Who must make and keep agricultural chemical use records

Under the Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Regulation 2017, all agricultural chemical users must ensure that records of each chemical application are made.

Records must be made within:

• 3 days of using a prescribed agricultural ERA product
• or
• 2 days of any other use of an agricultural chemical.

For use of a prescribed agricultural ERA product for relevant sugarcane growing or relevant cattle grazing within a prescribed Great Barrier Reef catchment, a copy of the chemical use records must be given to a responsible person, where relevant. A responsible person includes:

• the owner of the land if relevant sugarcane growing or relevant cattle grazing was carried out by the user of a prescribed agricultural ERA product under an arrangement with the owner of the land
• or
• another person who engages a user of a prescribed agricultural ERA product to carry out relevant sugarcane growing or relevant cattle grazing.

Where the application of a prescribed agricultural ERA product is carried out by a chemical user for a responsible person, the user must provide the records to the responsible person as soon as practicable and no later than 5 days after the record was made.

Records should be retained by all parties, including the:

• chemical user
• licensed distribution contractor (if applicable)
• responsible person (if applicable).

Records must be retained for a minimum of 2 years, or 6 years for a prescribed agricultural ERA product containing tebuthiuron. These records must be made available to an inspector appointed under the Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Act 1988 upon request. It is also a statutory requirement to supply records kept in accordance with the conditions of a distribution contractor licence, if requested by an inspector appointed under the Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966.