Claims that a banned pesticide, Methyl Bromide, was still being used on 70 percent of Australian grown strawberries gathered quite a bit of attention this week, and prompted a shocked reaction from many consumers. But the story turns out to be a little different than first thought, as Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology with the University of Adelaide, Ian Musgrave, confirmed via his piece in The Conversation. There are world-wide exemptions for the use of Methyl Bromide as a fumigant, and special quarantine purposes and some ‘critical use’ exemptions.
It was revealed that in 2012 there were 12,000 metric tonnes of Methyl Bromide in use around the world. 32 tonnes of that was used in Australia, 923 in the USA and 216 in Japan, as a point of comparison.
Concerns that the pesticide is toxic to human health were also addressed by Professor Musgrave. It is banned under the Montreal Protocol because it is a potent greenhouse gas, not toxicity. He says in his piece that reducing the amount of Methyl Bromide in the atmosphere is a priority, however “the significant risk to the Australian biota and agricultural production from invasive pests and pathogens has to be weighted against the fact that human produced brominated compounds represent less than 0.03% of the total halogens released into the atmosphere, and that unlike CFC’s, which last in the atmosphere for decades, methyl bromide’s half life in the atmosphere is less than a year.” In addition, he states that when it is used in the soil it is before strawberries are planted, and breaks down with no plants in the ground.
While there are continuing efforts to reduce the amount of Methyl Bromide used in growing strawberries across Australia (and world-wide), it is noted by Dr Musgrave that Victorian strawberry growers in particular may have difficulty finding alternative fumigation methods. In Queensland and Tasmania it is understood that Methyl Bromide has been replaced.
Fresh Plaza contacted strawberry growers to ask about their use of Methyl Bromide, however none were available for comment.
To read the original piece visit abc.net.au
To read Dr Musgrave’s piece in The Conversation, with links to research click here