The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has suspended the use of the insecticide dimethoate on blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries after a safety assessment found that increased national consumption had reduced acceptable exposure margins.
APVMA chief executive Scott Hansen said that while berries remain safe to eat, consumption levels have changed since the chemical's last review in 2017. "Berries remain safe to eat, but the volume Australians consume has significantly eaten into the safety buffer between exposure and risk," he said. "We therefore had to take actions to adjust the way in which the product (dimethoate) was being used to reinsert a safety margin."
The regulator's public consultation, launched in August, received 22 submissions. Following review, the APVMA decided to suspend the use of dimethoate on the affected berry crops, which previously allowed harvest as soon as one day after spraying. It is now illegal for growers to use the chemical on those crops under the previous conditions.
Manufacturers may apply to the APVMA to vary registration labels to include a 14-day harvest withholding period. This would allow growers to resume use if they wait two weeks between spraying and harvest.
In its formal decision, the APVMA stated that residue levels were "unlikely to pose a serious risk to human health" but that use was suspended "as a precautionary measure." Mr Hansen added, "What we've done by changing the withholding period from one day to 14 days is rebuild that safety buffer, which means that berries continue to be safe to eat."
Dimethoate has been used in Australia since the 1950s to control more than 80 pest insects in fruit, vegetables, and grains. The compound was banned by the European Union in 2019 and is listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a "possible human carcinogen."
Berries Australia, the national industry body, opposed the restrictions but accepted the regulator's final decision. Chair Anthony Poiner said, "I accept it completely. I'm very supportive of their focus on ensuring that as our industries evolve, they make sure that they are custodians of keeping consumers safe."
He said dimethoate remains the most effective tool for managing Queensland fruit fly, a pest estimated to cause US$197 million (A$300 million) in annual losses to growers. However, the 14-day withholding period effectively prevents use during harvest. "It's the most effective tool, but we use integrated management to control fruit fly, so we will have one less tool in the armoury," he said. "We'll now apply our minds to adjust our integrated strategies and try and mitigate that (increased cost)."
The APVMA permit will remain in place until November 2026 while chemical companies decide whether to update product labels to reflect the new withholding period or remove berry crops from their approved uses. Products not updated by that date will be cancelled.
Source: ABC News
