1. Purpose

To advise members of the outcome of the 2023-24 National Residue Survey and the Plant Product monitoring datasets 2023-24.

2. Background

The National Residue Survey (NRS) operates within the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). The NRS is an essential part of Australia’s pesticide and veterinary medicine residue management framework providing verification of good agricultural practice in support of chemical control-of-use legislation and guidelines.

NRS residue monitoring programs monitor the levels of, and associated risks from, pesticides and veterinary medicine residues and contaminants in Australian food products. The programs helps to facilitate and encourage ongoing access to domestic and export markets.

Further information on the NRS is available in GTA’s Technical Guideline Document No. 20 – National Residue Survey Participation.

3. NRS Results 2023-24

The 2023-24 National Residue Survey indicates a total on average of 6,835 grain samples were collected for analysis. The results were compared with the Australian standards and export samples were compared with the relevant international standards. In 2023-24 the overall compliance with Australian Standards was 99.0% as compared to 98.6% in 2022-23.

The results highlight excellent compliance with Australian standards and demonstrate the strong commitment of the grain industry to good agricultural practice. The consistently high compliance rates help maintain the reputation and integrity of Australian grain in international and domestic markets. The table below, taken from the 2023-24 NRS, highlights the compliance rates for the past five years relative to Australian standards.

GTA members are reminded that as per the Australian Grain Industry Code of Practice industry MUST participate in the NRS program as per the export/domestic activities as outlined in the Code. It has been noted that there have been several instances where industry participation has been lacking as per this requirement of the Code.

4. Further information

For further information please email admin@graintrade.org.au