Farm chemical text alert call

FARMERS are calling for a nationwide text alert system similar to emergency fire warnings to immediately notify them when pest control chemicals are contaminated.

An outbreak of white spot disease in the prawn industry last year has also sparked calls for better testing of imports to ensure foreign products don’t pose a biosecurity risk to Australia.

The National Farmers’ Federation has made 60 recommendations to the federal government in its 2018 pre-budget submission, including calling for a simple electronic alert system that would immediately notify farmers to any chemical product contamination.

Alerts would be put out either by text or email to all farmers who elected to be on the database.

The call comes after a series of contamination incidents cost hundreds of Australian farmers millions of dollars in crop losses and soil damage last year, with a handful reportedly now taking legal action.

In some cases, the agrochemical companies chose not to advertise recalls of contaminated products or publish media releases.

“Recent incidents involving the possibility of contaminated herbicides and pesticides has highlighted the need for a process for farmers to be notified quickly and effectively that their purchased products may have been contaminated,” the NFF says in its submission.

The alert system would be developed and run by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, which the NFF argues should receive a $50 million funding boost to be properly resourced and for a new website to “enable it to become a next generation regulator”.

NFF President Fiona Simsom said new Agriculture Minister David Littleproud should also review the APVMA’s powers to force companies to publish recalls of tainted products.

Under current rules, agrochemical companies are not required to publish details of their recalls on the authority’s website unless the contaminated products pose a risk to public safety.

Ms Simson said the alerts would be “an early warning system for farmers”.

The NFF has also called for the government to implement better testing for imports, continue mobile blackspot funding, and commit funding for biosecurity projects, telecommunications innovation projects and infrastructure projects for rural and regional areas.

It also called for a $1 billion fund to make roads and rail more efficient for export pathways.

Minister Littleproud said the Government would consider the NFF submission along with other proposals ahead of the budget.