Author Archives: Anthony

12 March 2023: Spray Drift Cowboys: Fighting Spray Drift in the Cotton Industry

VIDEO: Spray Drift Cowboys: Fighting spray drift in the cotton industry

12 March 2023

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/programs/landline/2023-03-12/spray-drift-cowboys:-fighting-spray-drift-in-the/102086288

Feb 28 2028: Farm chemical spray drift causing widespread tree deaths, claims community group

Farm chemical spray drift causing widespread tree deaths, claims community group

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-28/spraydrift-ag-chemicals-prompts-calls-for-epa-investigation/102017874

Below: A tree said to be affected by spray drift in Gulgong, NSW.(Supplied)

Farmers, scientists and other community members across NSW have criticised the state’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for ignoring reports of damage to crops and vegetation from agricultural chemicals drifting on the wind.

Spray drift is the spread of agricultural chemicals like pesticides and herbicides from farms to neighbouring areas through the air.

It’s a widely recognised phenomenon but this season has been described as one of the worst because unprecedented flooding, humidity and atmospheric inversion have all contributed to more incidents.

Members of Community Overspray Groups (COGs) met in Sydney recently to highlight their concerns.

They say the NSW EPA has not been properly investigating their reports of widespread impacts.

The group’s secretary Beatrice Ludwig said members from across the state have reported the impact on their crops as well as the vegetation on their land and in public areas.

“We have gardens and orchards being defoliated. We have beekeepers, and entire bee hives dying,” Ms Ludwig said.

The group said the EPA was giving them very little attention.

“The response is usually, ‘you go and prove it’,” rather than EPA taking it upon itself to investigate, she said.

“Spray drift is causing devastation and unintended consequences across thousands of hectares of farming and grazing land,” Pennie Scott, Convenor of the Passive Chemical Exposure Taskforce, said.

“They are doing nothing about protecting our environment … they are sitting on their hands, I don’t know whether its indifference, ignorance or just plain negligence, but they are not fulfilling their role,” she said.

A group of scientists chaired by ANU adjunct professor Richard Thackway visited parts of the central west last year and determined that there was enough evidence to warrant investigation into the links between large-scale vegetation stress and agricultural chemicals.

“The group [of scientists] has widely observed symptoms of chemical drift on non-target vegetation over the past few decades and the degradation of vegetation does not appear to be occurring from natural causes,” the statement said.

“The current run of wet seasons has resulted in vegetation recovery in many areas, but this is not evident in areas of intensive agronomic production where chemical use can be intense,” it said.

‘NSW waterways contaminated’

Aside from the possible effects on vegetation, pesticide runoff from agricultural production could also be in the state’s waterways.

Matt Landos is Director of Future Fisheries Veterinary Services and an honorary lecturer at Sydney University.

“What we know from monitoring [in Queensland] is that pretty much all waters that drain from agricultural land in Australia are contaminated with residues of products applied as pesticides,” Dr Landos said.

Dr Landos said while New South Wales did not have an extensive monitoring system like other states, it was “almost certain” the state’s waterways were contaminated given NSW’s volume of pesticide use in agriculture.

“From the fishery point of view, their productivity can be impacted by very low exposures to chemicals, impacting the viability of the food web, and the recruitment of new juveniles into fisheries,” he said.

Bad conditions for drift

The NSW EPA acknowledged the season’s conditions have come together to exacerbate spray drift.

“With the way the weather patterns have been this year, it’s culminated in many farmers needing to spray at the same time,” executive director of regulatory operations at the EPA Carmen Dwyer said.

She said farmers were desperate for their crops to succeed this season after some difficult years due to fires, floods and the mouse plague, and some were possibly spraying in ways they should not.

“We’re seeing allegations of quite broad impact from particular chemicals”

Ms Dwyer encouraged people to report incidents of spray drift as soon as they suspected it.

“If we’re told quickly about an incident we can get vegetation samples and confirm what type of pesticide has been applied, but unfortunately a lot of the time we’re not notified of the incident in a timely way so that restricts our ability to investigate.”

The EPA said it looked into all pollution notifications and reports, and had only received 12 this season.

The Community Overspray Groups worried that growers were now disillusioned with the investigation process, after making reports to the EPA for many years.

Jan 23 2023: Mudgee/Macquarie Valley. Spray Drift. Pesticide: 2,4-D?

Cotton Australia & others discuss action on spray drift incidents

Jan 23 2023: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/cotton-australia-others-discuss-action-on-spray-drift-incidents-285336-newsdetails.htm

Australia’s top agricultural peak bodies including Cotton Australia, government regulators, and enforcement agencies, are discussing the latest incidents of spray drift which SOS NSW has described as at crisis point. Pesticide spray drift occurs when pesticide dust or droplets move through the air at the time of application or soon after, to unintended areas.

Farmers have reported moderate to severe spray drift incidents on the Darling Downs, St George district, Dirranbandi, Mungindi, Gwydir, Lower Namoi, Walgett, and the Macquarie Valley, according to a press release by Cotton Australia.

Cotton Australia’s general manager Michael Murray said: “Media reports have suggested 2,4-D spray drift is responsible in some locations and while the damage is consistent with phenoxy herbicides, there is currently no available evidence in the form of residue analysis to confirm that.

“That being said, unfortunately the industry has a long history of experience with spray drift, and if experienced farmers and agronomists identify the damages as being caused by 2-4D drift, then that is the most likely cause.”

Murray added that cotton crops had been impacted but so too have other crops and it is unclear in each location exactly what chemicals are responsible.

Cotton Australia reminds all growers and spray operators that they must apply chemicals in accordance with the label conditions which can include factors such as nozzle selections, wind speeds, and inversion conditions, added the release.

Cotton Australia is actively urging the relevant authorities to run compliance activities to ensure adherence to label conditions.

“There is no doubt, this year is the worst year in recent years, most likely reflecting the seasonal conditions which have generally been conducive for weed growth, and the weather induced delays to winter harvest means that in some instances weed control is occurring later than usual,” said Murray.

2023 January: Lower Namoi (NSW) Spray Drift. 2,4-D?

Cotton Australia & others discuss action on spray drift incidents

Jan 23 2023: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/cotton-australia-others-discuss-action-on-spray-drift-incidents-285336-newsdetails.htm

Murray added that cotton crops had been impacted but so too have other crops and it is unclear in each location exactly what chemicals are responsible.

Cotton Australia is actively urging the relevant authorities to run compliance activities to ensure adherence to label conditions.

Jan 23 2023: Gwydir (NSW). Spray Drift. Pesticide: 2,4-D?

Cotton Australia & others discuss action on spray drift incidents

Jan 23 2023: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/cotton-australia-others-discuss-action-on-spray-drift-incidents-285336-newsdetails.htm

Murray added that cotton crops had been impacted but so too have other crops and it is unclear in each location exactly what chemicals are responsible.

Cotton Australia is actively urging the relevant authorities to run compliance activities to ensure adherence to label conditions.

Jan 23 2023: Mungindi (Qld). Spray Drift. Pesticide: 2,4-D?

Cotton Australia & others discuss action on spray drift incidents

Jan 23 2023: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/cotton-australia-others-discuss-action-on-spray-drift-incidents-285336-newsdetails.htm

Murray added that cotton crops had been impacted but so too have other crops and it is unclear in each location exactly what chemicals are responsible.

Cotton Australia is actively urging the relevant authorities to run compliance activities to ensure adherence to label conditions.

Jan 23 2023: Dirranbandi (NSW) Spray Drift

Cotton Australia & others discuss action on spray drift incidents

Jan 23 2023: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/cotton-australia-others-discuss-action-on-spray-drift-incidents-285336-newsdetails.htm

Murray added that cotton crops had been impacted but so too have other crops and it is unclear in each location exactly what chemicals are responsible.

Cotton Australia is actively urging the relevant authorities to run compliance activities to ensure adherence to label conditions.

Jan 23 2023: Spray Drift St George District. Pesticide: 2,4-D

Cotton Australia & others discuss action on spray drift incidents

Jan 23 2023: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/cotton-australia-others-discuss-action-on-spray-drift-incidents-285336-newsdetails.htm

Murray added that cotton crops had been impacted but so too have other crops and it is unclear in each location exactly what chemicals are responsible.

Cotton Australia is actively urging the relevant authorities to run compliance activities to ensure adherence to label conditions.

Jan 6 2023: Spray Drift impacts on 30,000ha Eastern Darling Downs. Pesticides: 2,4-D

Spray drift damages up to $100 million in cotton, prompting calls for more herbicide controls

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-01-06/spray-drift-damages-100-million-dollars-of-cotton-darling-downs/101816638

Anyone can buy the herbicide 2,4-D from a shop, but its misuse may have caused millions of dollars worth of damage to cotton crops, prompting calls for more controls.

The large-scale spray drift event hit up to 30,000 hectares of cotton on the eastern Darling Downs late last year.

But Crop Consultants Australia confirmed there had been spray drift detected across every cotton valley planted in Australia so far this season.

Spray drift is the airborne movement of agricultural chemicals outside a target area.

In this instance the chemical was 2,4-D, which kills plants by changing the way certain cells grow and is commonly used to control weeds.

Agronomist Matthew Holding said it was a shock to discover the affected cotton and he had never seen anything like it.

“To be able to say that pretty much every paddock we look in has some kind of symptom is just unbelievable,” he said.

“These would range from low to moderate, and the moderate would be ones where we’re starting to actually get concerned.”

He said the true extent of the damage was still to be determined.

“It’s happened just prior to Christmas I would say, so it’s … still starting to rear its ugly head,” he said.

Mr Holding said a lot of people were growing cotton at the moment due to strong prices, but sunflowers and small crops were also at risk.

Stuart Armitage, a former president of the Queensland Farmers Federation and former board member of Cotton Australia, said on top of high input costs, such as diesel, fertiliser and labour, the losses would be a huge blow.

“They [spray drift incidents] cause a lot of damage and a lot of grief and even depression and heartache for a lot of people,” he said.

“You spend a lot of money getting a crop going, and then someone who we can’t name or find or anything … through inconsideration, damages people’s crops.”

Agronomist Matthew Holding said $500 worth of chemical could have caused the damage, which may total up to $100 million.

“It’s almost beyond belief to think that a few hundred dollars’ worth of product done incorrectly and illegally could cause tens of millions of dollars … of damage in 2022,” he said.

Both Mr Holding and Mr Armitage want more controls put in place around the chemical’s use to create transparency.

They want 2,4-D listed as a controlled chemical that people would require certification to use.

“I would have thought that if you buy it from a shop, you’ve actually got to go onto a registered list and I think from that registered list, you’ve got to have the ability to keep good records and to be audited at any time,” Mr Holding said.

Mr Armitage said the situation would not require a government review.

“All that does is need a tick from the government,” he said.

In a statement, Biosecurity Queensland told the ABC it was investigating the use of herbicides associated with a reported spray drift incident on the Darling Downs affecting a 160-hectare site.

A spokesperson said further public comment was not possible while a complaint was being assessed.

Weeds become resistant due to wet season

Weeds have exploded across much of Australia due to wet weather last year.

Senior agronomist at Nutrien Dalby Ross Pomeroy said a huge amount of weed control in the areas concerned was ongoing, due to wet paddocks last winter and spring.

“We just couldn’t work the paddock, it was too wet. So the situation was that we use a lot of herbicides,” he said.

“Fleabane has been our biggest issue I’d say this season, and to a point where we’ve got fleabane varieties that are very tolerant or very, very resistant of our normal herbicides.

“Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Victoria [are affected and] I’ve seen it in my travels all the way up through the Queensland coast, around the Cape and it’s just about everywhere, all the way through inland.”

He said 30 years ago very light rates of glyphosate were used, but now he was having to go across paddocks three times.

“This might be the end of the herbicide era when it comes down to knockdown,” he said.

Sep 19 2022: Pilot dies in crop duster plane crash near Toowoomba

Pilot dies in crop duster plane crash near Toowoomba

Sep 19 2022: A pilot has died in a light aircraft crash north-west of Toowoomba.

The pilot, the sole occupant, died at the crash site on private property off Chinchilla Wondai Road at Canaga, near Chinchilla in the Western Downs, about 12.20pm on Monday.

Police said the pilot, a man aged in his 30s, was behind the controls of his crop duster aircraft when it lost altitude and crash-landed in a paddock.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified and will investigate the incident with the police service’s Forensic Crash Unit.

It comes after a pilot was killed in a plane crash in Ayr in the state’s north on Sunday, September 11.

The pilot, a 67-year-old Townsville man who was the only occupant of the aircraft, was found dead at the scene.

Last month, an experienced pilot, a millionaire businessman and his son died in an aircraft crash in the Fernvale area near Lake Wivenhoe in the Somerset Region, 40 kilometres west of Brisbane.

Bird carcass found in Qld plane’s cockpit (Shep News Dec 16 2022)

The carcass of a large bird that can weigh as much as eight kilos was found in the cockpit of a crop duster involved in a fatal crash in rural Queensland.

A pilot was killed and his aircraft destroyed when it crashed into the ground at a property near Chinchilla, west of Brisbane, on September 19.

The aircraft hit the ground with the fuselage “in a near vertical attitude” and its “propeller and engine buried in the soft earth”, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s Stuart Godley said.

“A large bird carcass was found in the cockpit and the bird’s wings were located about 300 metres north of the wreckage, in-line with the aircraft’s track.”

The engine appeared to be delivering power at the time of impact, a preliminary report says.

Examination have shown the bird was an Australian bustard or Plains turkey, which weighs up to eight kilograms and can be as tall as 1.2 metres.

They are mostly ground dwellers, but are capable of flight.

Farmers began their search for the plane at about midday after concerns were raised when the pilot failed to respond to a call about whether they needed more fuel.

One of the local farmers found the aircraft in a paddock where the pilot had been spraying pesticide shortly after.

The field where the accident occurred would generally be sprayed at a height of two metres above the ground, just above the weeds, the aircraft’s operator advised.

While birdstrikes causing fatal aircraft accidents are very rare, the ATSB is separately investigating an incident involving a wedge-tailed eagle carcass located near the accident site of a helicopter that experienced an “in-flight break-up” in NSW in July.

The ongoing investigation of the Chinchilla accident will include further examination of electronic components, operational documents and maintenance records.

A final report will be published at a later date.

Bird carcass found in Qld plane’s cockpit

Jan 1 2023: Chemical Romance or Toxic Relationship: what you need to know about EDC’s

Chemical romance or toxic relationship: what you need to know about EDCs

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7972744/two-heads-on-one-body-the-disturbing-chemicals-our-regulations-havent-caught-up-to/

John Hanscombe (Canberra Times) Jan 1 2023

Matt Landos knew something was seriously wrong when he saw the two-headed fish larvae.

It was 13 years ago when the veterinarian, who specialises in fish, was called to a small hatchery to investigate sudden, unexplained anomalies interfering with the embryos.

“They were having problems getting their fish to survive and they’d noticed some strange development in the eggs and the larvae of those fish in their hatchery,” he says.

“They had had some problems over the preceding couple of years which they suspected may have been related to the practices of their neighbour operating a commercial macadamia farm and utilising registered agricultural sprays on their crop.”

The hatchery operator had taken her concerns to the Queensland government, suspecting pesticide spray drift had introduced chemicals into the water in which the fish were bred. An initial investigation found the neighbour had complied with the necessary regulations.

“They essentially advised her that the operator was in compliance with regulations around application of spraying and therefore there may be other reasons why her fish were having problems. She rang me up and asked me as a veterinarian to come and investigate what was going on with her fish, to try and understand if there were other problems.”

Landos was particularly troubled by a group of bass, which had spawned in the springtime.

‘Two heads on the one body’

“Those larvae began developing their bodies and started bifurcating, so that they had two heads on the one body in a large number of the larvae that were developing.”

They died after 48 hours.

“It was a clear sign that the signalling that cells have early on was becoming deranged due to something,” Landos says.

The vet raised his concerns with then Queensland minister for primary industries and fisheries, the late Tim Mulherin. A task force was set up to try to establish what had caused the problems at the hatchery and whether it had anything to do with reported declining native fish stocks in the local catchment.

“That ran for about 12 months before putting together a final report. However there was really at no stage a consensus reached within the group about causation,” says Landos. “In the final report – the government-authored report – concluded that there was no definitive involvement of chemicals.”

ll these years later, he still takes issue with the report’s findings, saying it was trying to provide a definitive answer, which he says science is unable to do. And given most of the report’s recommendations related to the use of chemicals, it was clear from his perspective that chemicals were the culprit but the government just didn’t want to say so.

“The tension within the task force committee was such that they in fact stopped operating a proper committee process with minutes and actually broke it into meetings with individuals, which was very unusual for a committee.” Landos says there was disagreement over whether there was in fact any spray drift onto the hatchery. But his investigation found there was.

“We metered a swimming pool some 800 metres away from the macadamia farm, which was right next door to the fish farm and found the chemicals that were being sprayed. We hung filter paper in the air inside the closed hatchery building and we measured levels of the chemical being sprayed in the neighbour’s property on the filter paper. It was clearly moving its way into the shed and ended up on the filter paper and we detected it so we demonstrated that exposure was happening.”

Animals abortions and stillbirths

Critically, he says, that exposure occurred at the same time the fish were developing. “It was happening at the specific time that these cells were trying to divide in these embryos. This is a critical timing of exposure.”

Landos concluded that the embryos were being deformed through their exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the pesticide. And it wasn’t just the fish.

“Over time, we also identified frogs on the property that were developing deformed legs. There were horses that had abortions, there were horses showing clinical signs as in muscle tremors and a loss of ability to walk properly that responded to an antidote specific for treating organophosphate pesticide poisoning.

“We had a dog on the property that had pups and many of the pups were stillborn. That same dog had pups a couple of years later that had no eyes during their development. They were born without eyes. These things may all be aberrations however when you dig into the peer reviewed literature you see that some of the ways the chemicals involved affect in laboratory studies is the development of eyes.”

Landos says his investigation triggered a lightbulb moment.

“Could these low doses in fact be enough to disturb these body systems and alter the way that animals both develop as embryos but also their ultimate health as they get older?”

He began immersing himself in the growing body of scientific research which suggests there is a link between exposure to even tiny doses of endocrine disrupting chemicals and developmental problems and health issues later in life.

“There had been a decade or more of hormone disrupting research but it wasn’t taught in my undergraduate degree at university. So I hadn’t run across it. It was sitting in a separate science silo that I hadn’t found my way to. Since finding that silo and cracking the lid on the thing it’s a treasure trove of knowledge.”

Lifting the lid on ‘disturbing’ knowledge

That knowledge is disturbing. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are everywhere. They’re applied to food and the packaging it comes in. They make their way into the water supply. They’re on the clothes we wear, in the cars we drive and the furniture on which we sit. The research into their effects, Landos says, should raise alarm bells about human exposure to toxic chemicals and the regulations governing their use, which he maintains, fall way too short.

The endocrine system, common to all vertebrates, regulates hormones, which are critical to development and health.

“Hormones are incredibly powerful at tiny doses,” he says. “Tiny exposure levels of hormones can mediate huge effects on development. So small amounts of thyroid hormone are involved in helping the brain develop normally. As animals develop, we see small amounts of testosterone having tremendous effects on the development of different tissues in the animal and of course ultimately in the reproductive capacity of those animals.”

The pesticide being sprayed next to the fish hatchery, he says, might have been applied legally as far as the regulation was concerned. “But what the investigation highlighted was that there were problems with our regulation in that it was not safe and that exposures at levels below those which were permitted were causing harm.”

Landos says the system of regulating chemicals hasn’t been able to keep up with the growing body of research which identifies harms associated with exposure to even tiny amounts of EDCs. Its benchmarks, such as the exposure required for a chemical to become lethal, miss other effects which may be more subtle but still have lasting consequences.

“The issue is one of which part of the testing – which of the end points, as we call them – are considered in the regulatory process. The coarsest end point might be considered to be death of the animal. So at a certain level of exposure the animal’s systems might not be able to sustain themselves, the animal may perish. And this would establish a lethal end point for a study.

Problems in our regulations

“A more subtle end point might be loss of body weight or an impact on liver function or an inability to breed or a change in organ size.

The signal to regulate further is very clear and that is the decline in human health. The signal is one in six Australian couples need fertility treatment to have a child.

– Matt Landos

“So there are many different end points that can be selected to study the effects of exposure to chemicals. In the last couple of decades there has been a growing understanding that there are a group of end points that are extremely sensitive and these are called the endocrine end points. Or end points which are affecting the function of hormones in the body.”

Landos has campaigned vigorously for the past decade for a more robust regulatory system, both through his membership of the Australian Veterinary Association and as a member of the International Pollutants Elimination Network, an international advocacy group. Landos speaks at conferences, including SoilCare’s Australian Biological Farming Conference in Lismore in December, and contributes papers focused on chemical exposure and ocean pollution.

“The signal to regulate further is very clear and that is the decline in human health. The signal is one in six Australian couples need fertility treatment to have a child. The signal is that we are heading towards a quarter of Australians being pre-diabetic before 2025. The signal is that obesity is expanding in our population. The signal is that rates of depression are climbing in our population. The signal is that children with learning difficulties are at their highest rates that they’ve ever been in schools. There are some very strong public health signals out there.”

While exposure to EDCs might not be the sole cause of these problems, it could well be contributing.

A very clear signal over one of the most pervasive classes of EDC, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – commonly known as PFAS – emerged this year in the US. A University of California study found high exposure to PFAS can increase a person’s risk of non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma – a common liver cancer – by up to 4.5 times. PFAS are most commonly used in non-stick cookware but are also present in tap water, waterproof clothing and cleaning products.

The toxic legacy of PFAS has been an invisible torment for a number of Australian communities near defence bases – including Newcastle and Jervis Bay in NSW and Katherine in the Northern Territory – where firefighting foam containing the substance leached into surrounding waterways and the soil.

In June, the US Environmental Protection Agency cut the allowable use of PFAS in household products by 99 per cent.

More than 500 scientists from 28 countries gathered recently in Adelaide to hear about the scale of chemical use worldwide and how it’s affecting human and environmental health. Of particular concern was the ubiquity of PFAS. The Australian government recently released the third draft of its plan to manage PFAS but whether it will satisfy the scientific community which warns of a tsunami of chemicals remains to be seen.

Australia lags behind global standards

“PFAS have now been nominated to be listed, the entire class of those chemicals, on the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants,” says Landos. “But Australia has not sought to remove those at this stage. Australia still has relatively high levels of tolerance in terms of it permitting – as a water safety guideline – relatively high levels in water compared to the EU, for example, which in order of magnitude are lower than Australia in their tolerance.”

He says Australia, while a signatory to the Stockholm Convention, drags its feet when it comes to ratifying the ban on troublesome chemicals.

“It doesn’t automatically ratify new listed chemicals to say that Australia will immediately remove them. Australia takes an approach where it says we will decide in our own time when we’ll remove them. So initially when we signed there were a dozen or so dangerous chemicals. We ratified those but since then Australia has been a complete laggard globally in ratifying the subsequent ones.”

Jo Immig, coordinator of the National Toxics Network, a non-profit which raises awareness about chemical pollutants, describes the regulatory system for chemicals in Australia as “a bit of a spaghetti junction”.

Pesticides are regulated by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, industrial chemicals are overseen by the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme and food ingredients and packaging come under the purview of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards.

Australia still uses many pesticides long banned in other countries and still has no effective mechanism to get them off the market.

– Jo Immig, National Toxics Network

In August, Immig wrote on behalf of the National Toxics Network to the new federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt, urging tighter regulation of agricultural and veterinary (AGVET) chemicals.

“The previous government did untold damage to the regulation of AGVET chemicals,” she said. “They repealed critical legislation introduced under the Gillard government which established a systematic re-registration scheme for AGVET chemicals to ensure they met contemporary regulatory and scientific standards, as well as provided an effective mechanism to remove dangerous pesticides from the market. Given the extensive consultation that was undertaken to develop and implement that legislation perhaps this is something that could be easily achieved … Re-registration schemes have been part of regulatory regimes in Canada, the US and the EU for years.”

Ms Immig was particularly critical of the restructure of the APVMA, which she said had been gutted by the Morrison government which controversially and at great cost moved its operations to Armidale, in the electorate held by former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce. The restructure, argued then agriculture minister David Littleproud, would “mean the APVMA runs more efficiently, will reduce some costs, and mean that farmers can access safe and effective chemicals quickly”. This was diametrically opposed to the tougher regulatory approach being urged by scientists concerned about chemical exposure.

“The lengthy and costly reform process they recently undertook was marred by conflict of interest and culminated in legislation which further deregulated AGVET chemicals, while blatantly ignoring the science and evidence given by numerous stakeholders,” Immig wrote.

It was “shameful and dangerous Australia still uses many pesticides long banned in other countries and still has no effective mechanism to get them off the market or to incentivise farmers to move away from their use. We are a dumping ground for pesticides long banned by other more cautious countries, which is ultimately not to our competitive advantage and nor is it protective of public health or the environment.”

Australia, she says, should move to the precautionary approach to regulation adopted by the European Union, where chemicals need to be demonstrated to be safe before they are allowed on the market. The National Toxics Network has had notable success.

“We’ve been successful at having some dangerous pesticides removed from the market such as endosulfan,” says Immig. “We were largely responsible for the Gillard government introducing the re-registration scheme for pesticides which would have been great but the Abbott government dumped it.”

This year it brought to public attention concerns about the waste-to-energy incinerators being rolled out across NSW.

While Landos pushes for stronger regulation, he is taking his own small steps to keep himself and his family safe. You won’t find plastic in his home, nor non-stick cookware. “I have a cast iron frypan and no one ever complains about my eggs,” he says. Out too are fragranced cleaning products and personal care products. He buys his fruit and vegetables from organic farms.

But not everyone is in the position to make such choices.

Dr Shanna Swan, author of Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race, says poorer people face greater challenges avoiding chemical exposure.

“It’s much harder to learn about it if you don’t have the resources to access the information and you can’t buy your way out of it,” she says. “Maybe you’re in a food desert and there’s no organic food nearby, there’s no farmers market. You can’t take the steps necessary to decrease your exposure.”

Swan, a professor from New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine, says exposure to EDCs is a likely culprit not only in declining fertility and fecundity rates but also genital disorders.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs): Common Sources

Clothing, furniture and electronics

Brominated flame retardants used in electronics, clothing and furniture, such as sofas and mattresses, to reduce flammability have been linked to abnormal hormone function in the thyroid. Adding to the risk of exposure, they often migrate out of their products over time and contaminate household dust and food. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications due to their non-flammability, as well as chemical stability and insulating properties. Although now banned, PCBs are still present in insulation, electrical equipment, caulking, oil-based paint and more, and do not break down readily. They have the strongest and longest-known associations with neurological disorders.

Food contact materials

Phthalates interfere with the production of androgen (testosterone), a hormone critical in male development and relevant to females as well. They are used in many food and beverage containers and plastic wraps and leach into foods when containers are microwaved. Many companies have voluntarily removed phthalates from their products and advertise them as “phthalate-free”. Other plastic containers, which contain phthalates, have the number “3” and “V” or “PVC” in the recycling symbol.

Pesticides and herbicides

Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide used in commercial agriculture, is a potent neurotoxicant that causes developmental delays, attention problems, and ADHD in children. It accumulates in soil, water, food and air, as well as in buildings. DDT, one of the best-known pesticide EDCs, was used extensively worldwide until it was banned in the 1970s by several countries, including Australia. It remains in use in India and Africa to fight insect-borne disease. Evidence suggests exposure to this neurotoxin might be associated with breast cancer, preterm birth, early pregnancy loss, reduced semen quality, disrupted menstruation and problems with lactation. Atrazine, a widely-used herbicide, has been shown to affect the hypothalamus and pituitary glands. Some studies have also proposed causal relationships between glyphosate, used to kill weeds on lawns and farms, and obesity, behavioral and cognitive disorders.

PFAS

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals used as oil and water repellents and coatings for common products including cookware, carpets and textiles. They were also used extensively in firefighting foam until the manufacturer withdrew the product from sale because of fears it was unsafe. These EDCs do not break down when they are released into the environment, and they continue to accumulate over time.

Source: US Endocrine Society

4 Dec 2022: Court Verdict Spray Drift Holey Plains State Forest. Pesticides: Glyphosate, AMPA, Metsulfuron Methyl, Hexazinone

“Slap on the Wrist” for company that killed forest in State Park by Herbicide Spray Drift

For more information see here

4 December 2022

In June 2020, Friends of the Earth found a potential spray drift incident which impacted on a two kilometre native forest boundary of a pine plantation located in Holey Plains State Park. The impacted site is ~14km south east of the Gippsland town of Rosedale and is owned by Hancock Victorian Plantations.

In September 2022 FoE was advised that the investigation and associated legal proceedings against the spray contracting firm by the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (Agriculture Victoria) had concluded. We were advised that information regarding the incident was confidential but that information pertaining to the incident and subsequent investigation might be accessible via Freedom of Information.

Our heavily redacted Freedom of Information request came through in the last week of November. The name of the company involved in the incident has not been included in the FoI, but they were contracted to Hancock Victorian Plantations. The investigation carried out by Agriculture Victoria was impressive and thorough.

Many trees have appeared to have survived the incident, but unbelievably these are now threatened by logging. Species listed on the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas that have been found in Holey Plains State Park near this location include: Powerful Owl (vulnerable), Australian Owlet-nightjar, White throated nightjar, Jacky Winter, Koala, Lace Monitor (Endangered), Southern Bullfrog, Common froglet, Martins Toadlet (critically endangered), Broom Spurge, Golden Grevillia (vulnerable), Sandhill sword-sedge, Narrow Comb Fern, Wellington Mint Bush (endangered), Sticky Boronia and Coral Lichen.

The FoI revealed that there was not just one spray drift incident, but several that took place over three days in late March 2020. 13 charges, including injuriously impacting native plants, breaching herbicide label instructions, using herbicides in excess of label rates and lack of appropriate record keeping were laid against a contract spraying company in March 2022, with the case ending in August 2022. Maximum fines for the offences could have amounted to more than $66,000, but for some reason weren’t applied by the Magistrate.

There were a number of herbicides detected in leaves of vegetation adjoining the plantation, with impacted vegetation as far as 150m inside the Holey Plains State Park. The herbicides included Glyphosate (Wipe-Out 450 Herbicide), AMPA (a Glyphosate metabolite), Metsulfuron Methyl (Kenso Agcare Ken-Met 600 WG) and Hexazinone (Nufarm Grunt 750 WDG Herbicide).

Glyphosate drift was recorded in vegetation at 17 locations including in 2 locations in the tree canopy 15m-20m off the ground. AMPA was recorded at one location offsite, Metsulfuron Methyl at 5 locations and Hexazinone at 4 locations. Clopyralid was not detected off site.

All 4 herbicides can be applied aerially, although hexazinone is only allowed to be used in a tree plantation as a water dispersible granule. So how did it end up in vegetation 100m from where it was applied? It is likely that the hexazinone moved offsite during rainfall. Hexazinone is extremely mobile in water and remains in soils for years after application. The Victorian Government banned aerial spraying of non-pellitised Hexazinone in the 1990’s after a series of serious spray drift incidents.

One glaring problem with pesticide regulation in Victoria is that it can avoid taking into account affected vegetation that does not have an economic value. It is actually a defence to Section 40 of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992 to prove that affected vegetation has no economic value. Agriculture Victoria had to provide an expert report showing that the impacted vegetation in Holey Plains State Park did indeed have an economic value including: Amenity values for recreational users of the park, values to the apiary industry, carbon storage and sequestration values and biodiversity values, including existence values arising from the presence of koalas and species listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

In terms of an legal outcome to the event, the company that caused the spray drift was only granted a Diversion Notice, lasting 12 months, which means they must obtain Aerial Improvement Management System (AIMS) accreditation through the Aerial Application Association of Australia and also pay $1000 to the Yarram Yarram Landcare Network. This could be the first time that such a Diversion Notice has been granted in a spray drift incident and it is unclear why the Magistrate took this option. It is also unclear why the company involved was employed to carry out the spraying without AIMS accreditation and why Hancock would employ such a company when they have Forest Stewardship Council certification.

“Magistrates’ Remarks:

Accept that general deterrence relevant. Donation amount significantly reduced due to the time/money required to achieve compliance with the AIMS conditions. Also take into account the community support that the company provides. Sentence: Diversion for a period of 12 months: – The accused obtain AIMS accreditation through the AAAA and provide proof to Agriculture Victoria and the Court by 15 August 2023.”

To rub salt into the wounds, it would appear that DELWP is proposing that 17.8 hectares of impacted vegetation in the State Park be removed, lopped or destroyed through a Detailed Assessment Pathway process. Some of the area may include Wellington Mint-bush (Prostanthera galbraithiae). It is unclear how DELWP define large and small trees none of which appear on their application to have been impacted by spray drift. It is also unclear why DELWP has proposed a plan to potentially knock over vegetation was may have survived the spraying incident and to destroy native vegetation which is now regenerating post spraying.

The case has profound implications for areas surrounding pine plantations elsewhere in the State. For instance the State Government is now planning to massively expand pine plantation establishment throughout the Strzelecki Ranges and Central Gippsland. The Strzelecki Ranges is already suffering through destruction of key Koala Feed Preference Trees due to plantation logging and associated roading safety issues. Spray drift impacting on key forest adjoining plantations, including koala habitat over a wide area in the region is a major concern as is the potential health impacts for people living near plantations, where spray drift can and does occur.

27/12/22: Dead fish found in Channel in Sale.

Dead fish found in channel in Sale

https://www.gippslandtimes.com.au/news/2022/12/27/dead-fish-found-in-channel-in-sale/

Eyewitnesses have spotted dead fish on the surface of irrigation channels on Gibsons Road in Sale after Southern Rural Water (SRW) recently completed its annual weed control program of channels in the Macalister Irrigation District.

SRW said the weed control takes place in spring and early summer, when weeds are at their most vigorous, and is done to ensure the irrigation channels are operating at maximum capacity.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said in a pollution report that the annual weed control program involves the “injection of herbicide into irrigation channels to kill submerged vegetation that restricts water flow”. This occurred on Monday, December 5 in the channel on Gibsons Rd where the dead fish were found by multiple people.

One witness said they first observed the dead fish and other animals on the surface last Thursday (December 8), with other observers taking photos. The witness said they also saw dead frogs and turtles, and believed most of the dead animals may have sunk to the bottom. This individual provided photos, expressing their concern about the environment.

Another witness, who has for years walked their dogs along the channel, told the Gippsland Times that last week they just saw all these “belly-up fish”.

“It was on Gibsons Rd, between Bengworden and Cobain Rds, almost smack down the middle,” they said.

“I thought maybe someone was fishing there … I saw half a dozen, maybe 10 (fish) carcasses on the trail.

“No smell or anything. I wouldn’t have even noticed if not for the dead fish on the trail

“My dogs are not eating them, thankfully. They sniff it and walk away.”

The witness said they had not seen anything like it in 10 years.

“Some of the (fish) were on the grass. I guess if the water is not good, they’ll thrash and jump out,” they said.

“Generally it’s a pleasant place to walk.”

SRW manager environment and climate adaptation, Kate Berg, told the Gippsland Times that an investigation of the channels found European carp.

“The purpose of irrigation channels is to deliver irrigation water to Southern Rural Water customers, who produce food and fibre,” Ms Berg said.

“They are not natural waterways, or intended for use as habitat for aquatic life.

“Our investigations found that European carp, a noxious invasive fish species, were in the channels, and these have been removed and sent to an authorised waste facility in Bairnsdale. No other animals were found by us.

“The Environment Protection Authority has been notified, and decided not to inspect the irrigation channels because our monitoring data shows that there was unlikely to be any impact to natural waterways.

“When we undertake weed control treatment, we notify affected customers directly, and we undertake advertising in local media to notify the community.”

A pollution report from the EPA, seen by the Gippsland Times, goes into more detail about the herbicide used and how it affects structures like the channel on Gibsons Rd.

“The herbicide is approved for channel maintenance, and many water authorities in Australia use it for this purpose,” it reads.

“It breaks down within two-to-three days and works by removing oxygen from the water, which inadvertently causes the death of any fish or other gilled animals that may have entered the channel. The channel is an artificial structure managed solely for distribution of irrigation water and is not intended to provide habitat for aquatic wildlife.

“EPA has reviewed Southern Rural Water’s operating procedures and monitoring program, and is satisfied that it has appropriate controls in place to prevent the herbicide from leaving the channels and impacting upon any natural waterways, including the ocean.”

15/12/22: Suspected spray drift incident. Kuitpo (South Australia)

Farmer calls for spray drift to be investigated after thousands of marron die at his property

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-15/sa-pirsa-investigates-bee-and-marron-deaths/101767092

South Australia’s primary industries department is investigating the deaths of thousands of bees and freshwater crayfish at a farm south of Adelaide.

It is the second time thousands of animals have died at the site, but the Department of Primary Industries and Regions in SA (PIRSA) says there are several potential causes.

Farmer John Luckens first contacted PIRSA on December 2, when he noticed thousands of bees seemed to be dropping dead on his property near Kuitpo, south of Adelaide.

“Literally bees were falling out of the sky and the driveway was covered in dead and dying bees,” he said.

“I did a quick calculation and worked out there’s probably at least a thousand bees on that driveway and then in the grass beside there was probably 8,000 or 10,000 bees and I thought that was pretty unusual.”

He feared that if insects were dying, his marron — a type of freshwater crayfish — would be next.

“I also then thought that then – because we had a [suspected] poisoning event from farm chemicals here a few years ago, that there might be an impact on the marron, and there was,” he said.

Mr Luckens believes his marron were poisoned by aerial spraying in 2019, but neither he nor the department were able to confirm the cause.

He said in this latest incident the crayfish in two of his 30 ponds — the most elevated on his block — were affected.

“We’ve probably got upwards of half a ton of marron dead. That’s relatively significant for us,” he said.

Primary industries officers have taken water, bee and marron samples for testing and have also notified the Environment Protection Authority.

“The department … is aware of a mortality event involving marron on a farm in Kuitpo area and is currently investigating the cause including testing for infectious disease, harmful algae and chemical contaminants,” a spokesperson said in a statement to the ABC.

“The results of the chemical contaminant testing might also be relevant with PIRSA’s investigations into bee mortalities occurring on the same property.”

‘Concerned’ neighbours

Mr Luckens wants the government to investigate whether chemicals from spraying of nearby vineyards may have drifted into his ponds.

The neighbouring properties have sprayed the fungicide combination Top Wettable Sulphur and Tri-Base Blue and the surfactant Viti-Wet recently, but farm managers told the ABC they used advanced equipment that limited spray drift and had not sprayed insecticides.

“We’re disappointed to hear what’s happened and we want to work closely with John to find out what’s happened and find a solution,” Mark Vella, who manages the neighbouring Hersey Wines vineyard said.

Other properties were waiting to hear more about PIRSA’s investigation.

“We were concerned to hear from PIRSA today about the marron deaths on our neighbour’s property,” the owners of Top Note winery, Cate and Nick Foskett told the ABC via email.

“Environmental safety is something we take very seriously … however we no longer operate the vineyard and have leased it out since May 2021.

“We understand that PIRSA is conducting an investigation, so we will not be commenting further.”

‘May just be a coincidence’

University of Adelaide pharmacology lecturer Ian Musgrave said authorities may not be able to determine what killed the bees and the marron, especially given there were several days between nearby spraying and the testing of samples from Mr Luckens’s farm.

“It’s going to be quite difficult,” he said.

“One of the problems is the chemicals involved will degrade in the environment.

“For example, if we’re talking about lakes or ponds, the materials will be absorbed into the water, then can quite often be absorbed into the sediments in the water, drop out into the sediment, then not be detectable in the water itself.”

Dr Musgrave said the culprit may also be something occurring naturally in the surrounding environment.

“The environment is pretty nasty and it kills lots of things normally. So it may just be a coincidence that we see this bee die-off at the same time as you’re seeing a marron die-off,” he said.

PIRSA’s Rural Chemicals Operations section investigated 39 “chemical trespass” incidents in the past financial year and issued formal warnings for five.

It found more than 60 per cent of the complaints received in 2021/22 were considered to be low risks of various types, or not chemical trespass.

Mr Luckens said the state government needed to do more to protect new industries like marron farming and ensure chemical use did not affect other types of farming.

“I think most people want to do best practice and have good regulation,” he said.

“Some of the processes for managing these events are not appropriate.

“We need to have new industries, particularly food industries for the future … sometimes things happen beyond the farmer’s control. The government needs to have a process in place to protect their back.”

Oct/Nov 2022: Snowy River at Marlo. Pesticides: Hexazinone, Simazine, Captan

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Snowy River at Marlo

31/10/22: Hexazinone 0.03ug/L

31/10/22: Simazine 0.01ug/L

7/11/22: Captan 0.3ug/L

October 2022: Snowy River at Orbost. Pesticides: Hexazinone, Simazine

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Snowy River at Orbost

31/10/22: Hexazinone 0.04ug/L

31/10/22: Simazine 0.01ug/L

October 2022: Snowy River at Bete Bolong. Pesticide: Hexazinone

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Snowy River at Bete Bolong

31/10/22: Hexazinone 0.03ug/L

PFAS chemicals also detected.

2022 November: Murray River at Swan Hill. Pesticides: Simazine, Atrazine

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Murray River at Swan Hill

3/11/22: Simazine 0.01ug/L

7/11/22: Simazine 0.01ug/L

7/11/22: Atrazine 0.02ug/L

PFAS chemicals also detected.

October 2022: Murray River at Echuca. Pesticides: Atrazine, MGK-264, Simazine

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Murray River at Echuca

31/10/22: Atrazine 0.0122ug/L

31/10/22: MGK-264 0.0111ug/L

31/10/22: Simazine 0.0140ug/L

PFAS chemicals, Phthalates and Total Recoverable Hydrocarbons also detected.

November 2022: Loddon River, Kerang. Pesticides: Atrazine, Simazine

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Loddon River at Kerang

1/11/22: Atrazine 0.0265ug/L

7/11/22: Atrazine 0.01ug/L

1/11/22: Simazine 0.0211ug/L

PFAS chemicals, Phthalates and Total Recoverable Hydrocarbons also detected.

November 2022: Little Murray River at Swan Hill. Pesticides: Atrazine, Simazine

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Little Murray River at Swan Hill

3/11/22: Atrazine 0.01ug/L

7/11/22: Atrazine 0.01ug/L

3/11/22: Simazine 0.01ug/L

7/11/22: Simazine 0.01ug/L

PFAS chemicals also detected.

Oct/Nov 2022: Campaspe River at Kyneton. Hexazinone detected

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Campaspe River at Kyneton

31/10/22: Hexazinone 0.0362ug/L

7/11/22: Hexazinone 0.02ug/L

PFAS chemicals, Phthalates and Total Recoverable Hydrocarbons also detected.

Oct 2022: Broken River Benalla. Pesticides: Atrazine, Simazine

EPA Victoria – Regional Flood Water Testing Program

Oct 31-Nov 9 2022

Broken River at Benalla

31/10/22: Atrazine 0.0155ug/L

31/10/22: Simazine 0.016ug/L

PFAS chemicals, Phthalates and Total Recoverable Hydrocarbons also detected.

November 2021: Armidale (NSW) Senior staff member of APVMA urinates on Staff

Executive at Australia’s pesticides authority allegedly urinated on staff at function, Senate hears

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/08/executive-at-australias-pesticides-authority-allegedly-urinated-on-staff-at-function-senate-hears

Agriculture minister Murray Watt says he is seeking an ‘urgent briefing’ over the alleged 2021 incident

A senior staff member at the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is alleged to have urinated on staff members at a function in Armidale in late 2021, Senate estimates has heard.

He has now resigned, according to the APVMA’s chief executive officer, Lisa Croft, who was questioned about the incident at Tuesday’s hearing.

Croft confirmed that she was “aware of an incident” but denied it had happened at the APVMA’s Christmas party, as Green’s senator Peter Whish-Wilson had suggested in his question.

She said it had occurred “in a private capacity not at a work function”.

Croft admitted other staff had raised it with her, but it had not been the subject of a formal complaint.

“I understand that the people directly involved wanted me to be aware of the matter. There was no official complaint made,” Croft said.

She confirmed there had been discussions with HR and that the staff member – a member of the executive team – resigned soon after the event.

Whish-Wilson asked Croft whether there had been complaints of sexual harassment or bullying. Croft said she was not aware of any formal complaints or of three female staff making sexual harassment complaints.

The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, said he would be “seeking an urgent briefing”.

“These are obviously very concerning questions. It is certainly the first time I have heard about it,” he said.

The APVMA is the federal government agency responsible for approving registration of pesticides and other agricultural and veterinary chemicals.

October 20 2022: Secret Files linked with Paraquat and Parkinsons Disease

Secret files suggest chemical giant feared weedkiller’s link to Parkinson’s disease

Documents seen by Guardian detail effort to refute scientific research into paraquat and derail nomination of key EPA adviser

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/20/syngenta-weedkiller-pesticide-parkinsons-disease-paraquat-documents

For decades, Swiss chemical giant Syngenta has manufactured and marketed a widely used weed-killing chemical called paraquat, and for much of that time the company has been dealing with external concerns that long-term exposure to the chemical may be a cause of the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.

Syngenta has repeatedly told customers and regulators that scientific research does not prove a connection between its weedkiller and the disease, insisting that the chemical does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, and does not affect brain cells in ways that cause Parkinson’s.

But a cache of internal corporate documents dating back to the 1950s reviewed by the Guardian suggests that the public narrative put forward by Syngenta and the corporate entities that preceded it has at times contradicted the company’s own research and knowledge.

And though the documents reviewed do not show that Syngenta’s scientists and executives accepted and believed that paraquat can cause Parkinson’s, they do show a corporate focus on strategies to protect product sales, refute external scientific research and influence regulators.

In one defensive tactic, the documents indicate that the company worked behind the scenes to try to keep a highly regarded scientist from sitting on an advisory panel for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency is the chief US regulator for paraquat and other pesticides. Company officials wanted to make sure the efforts could not be traced back to Syngenta, the documents show.

And the documents show that insiders feared they could face legal liability for long-term, chronic effects of paraquat as long ago as 1975. One company scientist called the situation “a quite terrible problem” for which “some plan could be made … ”

That prediction of legal consequences has come to pass. Thousands of people who allege they developed Parkinson’s because of long-term chronic effects of paraquat exposure are now suing Syngenta. Along with Syngenta, they are also suing Chevron USA, the successor to a company that distributed paraquat in the US until 1986. Both companies deny any liability and maintain that scientific evidence does not support a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease.

“Recent thorough reviews performed by the most advanced and science-based regulatory authorities, including the United States and Australia, continue to support the view that paraquat is safe,” Syngenta said in a statement to the Guardian.

During the years Chevron USA’s predecessor sold paraquat, “it regularly reviewed and considered scientific studies regarding the safety of its products, including paraquat,” Chevron USA said in a statement to the Guardian, adding that none of the studies reviewed “showed a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease”.

Chevron USA said the company “does not believe that [its former subsidiary that sold paraquat] had any role in causing the plaintiffs’ illnesses and will vigorously defend against the allegations in the lawsuits”.

As part of a court-ordered disclosure in the litigation, the companies provided plaintiffs’ lawyers with decades of internal records, including hand-written and typed memos, internal presentations, and emails to and from scientists, lawyers and company officials around the world. And though the files have not yet been made public through the court system, the Guardian has reviewed hundreds of pages of these documents in a reporting collaboration with the New Lede.

Among the revelations from the documents: scientists with Syngenta predecessor Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and Chevron Chemical were aware in the 1960s and 70s of mounting evidence showing paraquat could accumulate in the human brain.

When Syngenta’s own internal research showed adverse effects of paraquat on brain tissue, the company withheld that information from regulators while downplaying the validity of similar findings being reported by independent scientists.

In addition, the records show company scientists were aware of evidence that exposure to paraquat could impair the central nervous system (CNS), triggering tremors and other symptoms in experimental animals similar to those suffered by people with Parkinson’s. A 1975 Chevron communication speaks of concerns about allegations of “permanent CNS effects from paraquat”.

And as independent researchers continued to find more and more evidence that paraquat may cause Parkinson’s, the documents describe what Syngenta called an “influencing” strategy “that proactively diffuses [sic] the potential threats that we face” and seeks to “maintain and safeguard paraquat registrations”, referring to their regulatory approvals. The strategy “must consider how best to influence academia, and regulatory and NGO environments”.

A Syngenta “regulatory strategy” document from 2003 refers to paraquat as a “‘blockbuster’ product” that must be “vigorously” defended to protect more than $400m in projected annual global sales. Ensuring what Syngenta called its “freedom to sell” paraquat was a top priority, the internal records show.

Syngenta also created a website the company used to publicly dismiss concerns about links between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease and provide positive product messaging. On that website, the company asserted that paraquat did not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, even when the company had evidence from animal and human data that paraquat accumulated in brain tissue. The company no longer uses that language on its website.

“It is highly unethical for a company not to reveal data they have that could indicate that their product is more toxic than had been believed,” said Bruce Blumberg, professor of developmental and cell biology at the University of California, Irvine, speaking generally about corporate conduct. “[These companies are] trying to maximize profits and they jeopardize public health, and it shouldn’t be allowed. That is the scandal.”

‘A unique herbicide’

Paraquat is one of the most widely used weed killing chemicals in the world, competing with herbicides such as glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup brand for use in agriculture. Farmers use it to control weeds before planting their crops and to dry out crops for harvest. In the United States, the chemical is used in orchards, wheat fields, pastures where livestock graze, cotton fields and elsewhere. As weeds have become more resistant to glyphosate, paraquat popularity has surged.

It is used on approximately 15m acres of US farmland. US government data shows that the amount of paraquat used in the United States has more than tripled between 1992 and 2018.

On the Syngenta-run Paraquat Information Center website, the chemical is described as “a unique herbicide” that “can deliver safe, effective weed control, generating social and economic benefits, while protecting the land for future generations”.

Paraquat has been the subject of more than 1,200 safety studies submitted to, and reviewed by, regulatory authorities around the world, according to Syngenta.

Though it is widely used, paraquat has long been known to be dangerous to ingest – a tiny swallow of the chemical can kill a person within days. Scores of people around the world have died from ingesting paraquat either intentionally or accidentally. The EPA restricts use only to people certified to apply it. It is not sold to consumers, and paraquat warning labels carry the symbol of death – a skull and crossbones.

Syngenta maintains on its website that if users follow directions and wear proper protective clothing, including gloves and boots, “there is no risk to human safety”. Paraquat is “not a neurotoxicity hazard,” and “does not cause Parkinson’s disease”, the company states.

Despite the company’s claims, dozens of countries have banned paraquat, both because of the acute dangers and mounting evidence of links to health risks such as Parkinson’s from chronic, long-term exposure. Syngenta currently sells paraquat products in more than two dozen countries, from Australia to Uruguay.

Paraquat was banned in the European Union in 2007 after a court found that regulators did not thoroughly assess safety concerns, including scientific evidence connecting Parkinson’s to paraquat. It is also banned in the UK, although it is manufactured there. The chemical was banned in Switzerland, Syngenta’s home country, in 1989. And it is banned in China, the home base for ChemChina, which purchased Syngenta five years ago.

In the US, the EPA has largely agreed with Syngenta and other chemical companies that say paraquat can be safely used. Last year, the EPA said it would continue to allow farmers to use paraquat, including spraying it across fields from small airplanes.

A ‘Parkinson’s pandemic’

Concerns about possible ties between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease have grown as the spread of Parkinson’s has accelerated; the disease is now considered one of the world’s fastest-growing neurological disorders. Prevalence of Parkinson’s more than doubled from 1990 to 2015 and is expected to continue to expand rapidly, impacting millions of people around the world. Along with paraquat, toxins in air pollution and other pesticides, and to a smaller extent genetic factors, also are considered by many researchers as risk factors for the disease.

Roughly 60,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with Parkinson’s, and in recent years it has been ranked among the top 15 causes of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, the death rate from Parkinson’s has climbed more than 60% in the United States over the past two decades, according to research published last year. It is considered the fastest-growing neurological disease in the world.

As a disease of the central nervous system, common Parkinson’s symptoms include tremors, or a rhythmic shaking in arms and legs, stiffness and rigidity of the muscles, a loss of balance and coordination, and difficulty speaking. Parkinson’s symptoms develop when dopamine-producing neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra are lost or otherwise degenerate. Without sufficient dopamine production, the brain is not capable of transmitting signals between cells to control movement and balance

“The Parkinson’s pandemic has exacted an enormous toll on tens of millions of individuals who bear the brunt of the disease,” Ray Dorsey, a neurologist at the University of Rochester Center for Health + Technology in New York, wrote in a 2020 book about the rise of the disease.

Dorsey is one of a number of leading scientists from around the world who say research clearly shows paraquat exposure can cause Parkinson’s disease.

“Paraquat is considered the most toxic herbicide ever created,” Dorsey said in an interview.

Syngenta said the weight of evidence actually shows that paraquat does not cause Parkinson’s and said a 2021 study co-authored by its chief medical office backs that position. The company also pointed to a 2020 update to the US Agricultural Health Study (AHS) as supporting its position. (The 2020 AHS looked at a much larger group of people than prior AHS research has linked paraquat to Parkinson’s, however.)

“There is no properly designed epidemiological study that shows a link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease,” the company said in a statement.

“To this day, and despite hundreds of studies being conducted in the past 20 or so years, a causal link between Paraquat and Parkinson’s disease has not been established,” Chevron USA said in a statement to the Guardian.

Toxic timeline

Syngenta predecessor ICI first recognized paraquat’s value as a herbicide in 1955, launching its paraquat brand Gramoxone in the UK in 1962 and then in the United States shortly after.

Even as the company was bringing paraquat to the market, its scientists were starting to see early signs of possible problems with the product. Internal records show that in 1958, an ICI researcher reported to a colleague that company tests on laboratory animals found exposure to a chemical compound related to paraquat appeared to affect the central nervous system.

A 1964 ICI study on rabbits noted dermal exposure to paraquat caused symptoms such as “weakness and incoordination” in some of the animals receiving very high doses. In 1966, ICI scientists studying paraquat exposure effects on a variety of animals noted that large doses given to rats and mice showed effects on the central nervous system, with various impacts, including some animals displaying “hyper-excitability”, a stiff gait or tremors.

In 1968, paraquat poisoning deaths were starting to mount around the world, as many people intentionally used the herbicide as a tool for suicide. With the deaths, according to the documents, came multiple autopsies and analyses revealing that paraquat was accumulating in brain tissue in people who had ingested small amounts of paraquat.

In the early 1970s, animal studies by ICI researchers found more evidence of the chemical’s ability to move into the brain, as well as the lungs, and spinal cord. Field workers exposed to the chemical were complaining of health problems, and the documents indicate that by 1974 some state regulators were expressing concerns about the potential long-term, chronic effects on workers who might inadvertently lick small quantities of paraquat residue off lips, or inhale paraquat mist. Company officials were also warned of rumors that some people inside the EPA were in favor of banning paraquat.

In response, Chevron executives decided the labeling on Gramoxone needed stronger warning language, including advising users to wear goggles and a respirator when spraying. Notes from a February 1974 meeting referred to the “paraquat toxicological problems in the USA” and “increasing numbers of reports of toxicological effects of paraquat to applicators in the field”.

ICI expressed concern about market “repercussions” outside the US from added warnings, but agreed to the changes, according to the meeting notes.

Notes from a follow-up meeting a month later quoted a Chevron lawyer as saying “to a lawyer there is evidence now that paraquat could cause industrial injury and it should be recognized that Chevron could face suits totalling millions of dollars”.

A year later, Chevron fears were growing. In a July 1975 letter to ICI, a Chevron toxicologist noted “problems of nosebleed and sore throat in our own plant workers”, as well as studies indicating the potential for central nervous system effects from paraquat. The Chevron scientist asked ICI for information, saying “anything you have on the question of permanent injury from paraquat, or any follow-up evaluations several years after spraying would be of benefit to us.”

Notes from an October 1975 meeting between Chevron and ICI recorded that “Chevron are concerned on the chronic effects of paraquat sprays … The syndrome is reported as injury to the CNS … ”

The notes state that there may be a need for long-term toxicity studies or an epidemiology study because “Chevron would like more positive data to use in litigation cases”. In the same meeting, it was noted that an autopsy of a recent paraquat poisoning victim had found lesions on the motor neurons “sufficient to cause debilitation” but the notes said it was not clear what might have induced this effect. (Motor neurons are cells in the brain and spinal cord that send commands from the brain to the rest of the body.)

In a December 1975 letter to the Chevron toxicologist, an ICI scientist wrote: “We discussed last week the point you raised about possible chronic effects, which you see causing legal problems. This is a quite terrible problem and, frankly, I do not believe a satisfactory investigation can be made. However, I think some plan could be made, and to be as definitive as possible, any study must be as free from doubt as possible.”

Bad news builds

As the companies fretted, the bad news continued to build: a 1976 autopsy of a farmworker reviewed by ICI showed “degenerative changes” in the “cells of the substantia nigra” of the brain. Such changes are a hallmark of Parkinson’s, but the autopsy said they were probably because of lung damage. A Chevron memo that year noted “gaps in our knowledge of the chronic effects of paraquat exposure”.

By 1985 the science on paraquat health effects had become the subject of vigorous research by independent scientists, and the findings were ringing alarm bells within Chevron’s highest ranks.

In October 1985, an internal memorandum circulated to Chevron officials noted that a study by a Canadian researcher had found “an extraordinarily high correlation” between Parkinson’s and the use of pesticides, including paraquat. The memo also noted that paraquat was “chemically very similar” to the byproduct of synthetic heroin called MTPT, “which produces almost instant Parkinson’s, by killing dopaminergic neurons in the brain”.

The author of the Canadian study had warned that an increase in Parkinson’s disease would be seen as a consequence of the relatively recent introduction of paraquat-like pesticides.

The memo then warned that paraquat could turn out to be a huge legal liability, similar to the fate that befell an asbestos company when the common building material was found to cause cancer.

The asbestos situation “highlighted the especially severe financial risks involved in selling a product which contributes to a chronic disease”, the memo states. “Parkinson’s can go on for decades.”

R Gwin Follis, the retired chairman of Standard Oil – which became known as Chevron in 1984 – wrote to GM Keller, the chairman of Chevron: “I cannot think of anything more horrible for us to bequeath to our successors than an asbestos problem.” Chevron stopped selling paraquat a year later, in 1986.

The “decision to exit the paraquat distribution business was made solely for commercial reasons due to increased competition and did not relate to any health concerns regarding paraquat,” Chevron USA said in a statement to the Guardian.

The company added that during the years a former Chevron subsidiary sold paraquat, it “met or exceeded all federal and state requirements for product-safety testing before and after release on the market”.

A ‘defensive position’

Through the 1990s and into the 2000s, the research on paraquat and Parkinson’s expanded, inside and outside Syngenta. Several US researchers did studies that found unsettling impacts of paraquat on mice, adding more evidence the chemical could cause Parkinson’s.

Syngenta noted these “external pressures on paraquat” and decided its own scientists should repeat studies done by the outside scientists to see if they came up with the same results. There was a caveat: the Syngenta science team “avoided measuring PQ [paraquat] levels in the brain, since the detection of any PQ in the brain (no matter how small) will not be perceived externally in a positive light”, according to an internal Syngenta presentation.

“Data generated will be used to build a scientifically robust, defensive position for paraquat in response to the issues already in the scientific literature, and to questions raised by the media, customers and regulatory authorities,” another Syngenta document stated.

“The issue around the claims that paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s disease are linked needs to be addressed if the future Syngenta aspirations for the product are to be realised.”

Along with making a plan to generate data for its defense, Syngenta began honing a broader “influencing” strategy and “freedom to sell” strategy. A 2003 eight-page document made the objectives clear: the goal was not just to protect paraquat, but to expand its use.

At the time, the chemical was under regulatory review in Australia and the European Union. The company worried about evolving regulatory policies posing “a threat”, including that regulators may start to replace “higher hazard products with lower hazard products”, and apply a “precautionary principle”.

Under that type of regulatory approach, companies seeking to sell a chemical have a burden of proving product safety. In contrast, the US regulatory system largely takes the opposite approach – a chemical must be proven unsafe to be kept off the market.

In response to the growing regulatory threats, Syngenta said it would take several steps, including leading “national, regional and global industry initiatives to influence regulatory policy”.

The company also set as an objective “targeted collaborations with key influencers to improve product image … ”

Internal communications show the company discussed consultations with several senior European scientists, and plans to “contribute substantively [sic] to the literature”, including for studies being done for submission to the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Agricultural Health Study in the US, a decades-long collaborative research project involving multiple US government agencies.

As Syngenta honed its defenses, the data from its internal studies started to come in. The first internal study done in 2003 was designed to dose mice with paraquat as outside scientists had done, and then measure any loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra of the animals’ brains. Syngenta’s tests did find losses but used a manual counting technique for analyzing those losses that was different from the automated technique used by independent scientists. Under the Syngenta analysis, the impacts of paraquat on the animal’s brains were deemed not statistically significant, a finding Syngenta made public.

What the company did not publicize at the time, however, was the fact that Syngenta scientist Louise Marks, who led the animal studies in question, repeated those studies using the more accurate, automated technique used by independent scientists.

he found that when using an automated analysis technique, paraquat actually did result in a statistically significant loss of the relevant brain cells – just as the outside scientists had found. Marks did another study, and the results were the same. Marks could not be reached for comment.

Deposition testimony given in the current litigation by longtime Syngenta scientist Phillip Botham, which has not previously been made public and during which a judge was not present, indicates that company officials would not tell the EPA of Marks’ research findings until roughly 15 years later, in 2019. The company only told the EPA about the Marks’ data after lawyer Steve Tillery, who in 2019 was suing Syngenta on behalf of people with Parkinson’s, threatened to send the evidence to the EPA himself, according to a transcript of Botham’s testimony.

When asked about the Marks tests, Sygnenta said: “The Marks studies involved a model in which a particular breed of mouse was injected with near-lethal doses of paraquat. Such models are of limited relevance to evaluating the safety of those using paraquat occupationally.”

The deposition also revealed that when Syngenta said on its website that paraquat did not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, and did not reach the specific area of the brain necessary to produce Parkinson’s symptoms, the company knew those statements were not accurate.

When asked in the deposition if that information was true at the time it was posted on the website, Botham admitted it “certainly had some inaccuracies”. “It appears that this communication had not had a chance, for reasons which I can’t fully explain, to catch up with the science that was still emerging,” he said. Part of the reason the company never reported Marks’ findings on its website, he said, was because subsequent research produced different results.

A secret plan

Part of the strategy to influence regulators involved trying to lobby for and against who the EPA looked to for independent scientific advice. In 2005, the EPA was considering appointing Dr Deborah Cory-Slechta to an open position on an important agency scientific advisory panel (SAP) on pesticides. Cory-Slechta was an influential US scientist whose work at the time was establishing ever stronger evidence that paraquat could cause Parkinson’s disease.

“This is important. We do not want to have Cory-Slechta on the SAP core panel,” Syngenta senior research scientist Charles Breckenridge wrote to colleagues in a June 2005 email.

Company emails show Syngenta decided to ask Ray McAllister, a regulatory policy expert at the industry lobbying group CropLife America (CLA), to disparage Cory-Slechta’s work in communications to the EPA. Syngenta officials wrote what they wanted McAllister to tell the EPA, and delivered it to McAllister.

“Ray has a tough job to do in providing comments that don’t come back to haunt CLA and be used against us,” one Syngenta executive wrote to colleagues.

Another Syngenta executive wrote to colleagues that it was “going to be very difficult to pin something really specific on D C-S … ”

The company decided secrecy would be key. The company did not want the public or the EPA to know Syngenta was behind the effort.

“I would ask that you handle our comments with care and in such a way that they cannot be attributed to Syngenta,” Greg Watson, a Syngenta regulatory affairs executive, wrote to McAllister. He then suggested that the communications to the EPA about Cory-Slechta “should be submitted informally & NOT placed in the public docket”.

In a separate email, Watson wrote that “for many, many of our projects it would be a real disaster to have her on the SAP!”

Watson suggested, among other things, that McAllister tell the EPA that Cory-Slechta used an “over-interpretation of data” to present scientific conclusions that were “in reality, speculation,” and was someone who made “overly dogmatic” statements.

McAllister communicated the concerns about Cory-Slechta to the EPA without mentioning they came from Syngenta. The agency chose someone else for the advisory panel.

The documents show similar efforts to influence the roster of scientists selected by the EPA for a 2010-11 pesticide advisory panel. At that time, Syngenta advised CropLife to tell the EPA that Cory-Slechta was using her research program for “anti-pesticide advocacy” and was identifying effects “without quality data”.

Cory-Slechta was not selected for the panel in question, while a scientist supported by CropLife was.

When asked to comment about the company’s actions against her, Cory-Slechta said she was not surprised. She said Syngenta representatives had tried various tactics over the years to intimidate her, and also at least once to woo her with an invitation to help fund and collaborate on research.

“They would follow me around,” she said in an interview. “It was clear they were not happy with me. Consistently our research showed that when you administer paraquat in rodent models you would see a loss of dopamine cells … in the substantia nigra. That is the hallmark, or the gold standard, of Parkinson’s disease.”

She said: “They didn’t like the data. They saw a threat to a huge market.”

Cory-Slechta said she is not anti-pesticide, nor pro-pesticide. “I want to stay in the middle,” she said. “I pride myself and I go overboard to stay in the middle. I let myself be led by the data.”

When asked about the Cory-Slechta correspondence, Syngenta said: “We disagree and take exception to this mischaracterization.”

No ‘clear link’

The plaintiffs’ lawyer Steve Tillery was poised to present many of these internal documents and other evidence at a June 2021 trial in Illinois that would have been the first major court challenge to Syngenta and Chevron over the Parkinson’s connection to paraquat.

Just as the trial was set to begin, however, Syngenta agreed to pay $187.5m to settle with the plaintiffs in that case and several others, according to a disclosure in the company’s 2021 financial statement. The company did not admit liability as part of the settlement. It is not clear how much, if any, Chevron might have paid.

Other lawyers are now pressing claims for more than 2,000 other plaintiffs with Parkinson’s disease, including filing lawsuits on behalf of people with Parkinson’s in Canada.

The EPA’s agreement to reconsider its assessment of paraquat was welcomed by the farmworker groups, Parkinson’s scientists and others who brought the court challenge. The agency has said it will take another look at the health risks and costs that come with the widespread use of paraquat, and will have a revised report out in a year.

“Our research partners have studied the ample and compelling evidence showing paraquat’s association with neurological degradation and symptoms related to PD,” Ted Thompson, senior vice president of public policy at the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, said in an email.

“We believe the federal government and the EPA should use every tool at their disposal to eliminate its risk.”

It is not clear however, if the EPA’s extended review of paraquat will change the agency’s position. EPA scientists said in its 2019 draft human health risk assessment that its review of research about the potential association between paraquat and Parkinson’s had found only 71 studies out of 489 to be relevant to the agency’s analysis.

The agency “has not found a clear link between paraquat exposure from labeled uses and adverse health outcomes such as Parkinson’s disease … ” the agency states on its website.

While the agency conducts its reassessment, paraquat use continues.

This story is co-published with the New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group. Carey Gillam is managing editor of the New Lede and the author of two books addressing glyphosate: Whitewash (2017); and The Monsanto Papers (2021)

20/10/22: Propyzamide linked to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IFD)

20 October 2022 Cosmos Magazine

https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/herbicide-propyzamide-promotes-ibd/

Scientists identify a readily available herbicide which might lead to IBD

The herbicide propyzamide has been found to interfere with the suppression of pro-inflammatory pathway in the gut.

A new study in Nature has identified an environmental chemical agent that might promote gastrointestinal inflammation or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Herbicides with the active ingredient propyzamide, which is the subject of the research, are available in Australia.

The report says propyzamide may boost inflammation in the small and large intestine by disrupting an anti-inflammatory pathway.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a term for two conditions – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – which are complex chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

Research has shown that there are about 200 genetic loci associated with the disease, but less is known about the specific environmental factors that influence the risk and severity of IBD.

Now, the Nature study has systematically identified environmental chemical agents that promote gastrointestinal inflammation, and specifically identified a common herbicide called propyzamide, that may boost inflammation in the small and large intestine by disrupting an anti-inflammatory pathway.

Senior author Francisco Quintana, a neurology professor at the Centre for Neurologic Diseases at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US, says environmental factors are known to be important in influencing autoimmune and inflammatory disease.

Propyzamide is widely used to control certain grasses and broad-leaf weeds in sports fields, crops and pastures. It’s used in Australia under various brand names.

And research has shown that about 60% of the chemical remains unmetabolised by the plant 50 days after its application.

With a series of cell-culture, zebrafish, and mouse experiments, they were able to show that propyzamide interferes with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a protein that’s involved in immune regulation.

In the study, researchers found that AHR maintains gut homeostasis by suppressing a second, pro-inflammatory pathway that had previously been shown to be genetically linked with IBD.

“Our methodology allowed us to identify a chemical that disrupts one of the body’s natural ‘brakes’ on inflammation,” Quintana says.

The team is now working to target this inflammatory pathway by engineering nanoparticles and probiotics to activate AHR.

“The anti-inflammatory AHR pathway we identified could be strengthened to ameliorate disease, and, further down the road, we could also investigate additional ways to deactivate the pro-inflammatory response,” says Quintana. “As we learn more about the environmental

factors that might contribute to disease, we can develop strategies to limit exposures.

“Some chemicals don’t seem to be toxic when tested under basic conditions, but we do not yet know about the effect of chronic, low-level exposures over decades, or early-on in development.”

Cosmos has not yet contacted any distributors of propyzamide-based products for comment.

26/5/22: Torrens Creek (South Australia). Gumeracha. Pesticide: Triclopyr

Torrens Creek – Gumeracha (South Australia)

Rain event – Torrens Creek u/s Gumeracha township 26/5/22: Triclopyr 0.3ug/L

26/5/22: Millers Creek (South Australia). Pesticide: MCPA

Millers Creek (Torrens River) Catchment – South Australia

26/5/22: Millers Creek (Torrens River) Catchment: MCPA 0.09ug/L (Rain event)

2013-2020: Home Hill Emergency Bores. Pesticides: Atrazine and metabolites

Home Hill Emergency Bores Raw Water 2013-2020

PFAS also detected

Atrazine 0.8ug/L (max) 0.178ug/L (av.)

Desethyl Atrazine 0.8ug/L (max) 0.178ug/L (av.)

Desisopropyl Atrazine 0.09ug/L (max), 0.035ug/L (av.)

2013-2020: Home Hill Bores Raw Water. Pesticides: Multiple

Home Hill Bores Raw Water 2013-2020

PFAS also detected

Atrazine 0.63ug/L (max) 0.031ug/L (av.)

Desethyl Atrazine 6ug/L (max) 0.128ug/L (av.)

Desisopropyl Atrazine 0.2ug/L (max), 0.034ug/L (av.)

Bromacil 0.1ug/L (max), 0.026ug/L (av.)

DCPMU 0.03ug/L (max), 0.023ug/L (av.)

Diuron 0.16ug/L (max), 0.028ug/L (av.)

Metolachlor 0.1ug/L (max), 0.025ug/L (av.)

2010-2020: Chambers Bores, Ayr. Pesticides: Atrazine, Desethyl Atrazine, Imazapic

Chambers Bores Raw Water Quality 2010-2020

PFAS above guideline levels also detected

Atrazine 0.02ug/L (max)

Desethyl Atrazine 0.01ug/L (max)

Imazapic 0.01ug/L (max)

2010-2020: Nelsons Borefield, Ayr. Pesticides: Desethyl Atrazine, Bromacil, Dimethoate, Flusilazole

Nelsons Borefield Raw Water Quality 2010-2020

Desethyl Atrazine 0.08ug/L (max)

Bromacil 0.26ug/L (max)

Dimethoate 0.4ug/L (max)

Flusilazole 0.05ug/L

PFAS above guideline levels also detected.

2015-2020: Conlan Street Bores, Ayr. Pesticides: Multiple

Conlan Street Bores Raw Water Quality 2015-2020

Desethyl Atrazine 0.07ug/L (max), 0.02ug/L (av.)

Bromacil 0.03ug/L (max), 0.028ug/L (av.)

DEET 0.4ug/L (max), 0.194ug/L (av.)

Haloxyfop 0.17ug/L (max), 0.04ug/L (av.)

Imazapic 0.02ug/L (max), 0.013ug/L (av.)

PFAS also detected

2010-2020: South Ayr Raw Water Quality. Pesticides: Multiple

South Ayr Raw Water Quality 2010-2020

Ametryn 0.04ug/L (max)

Atrazine 0.72ug/L (max)

Desethyl Atrazine 0.15ug/L (max)

Desisopropyl Atrazine 0.04ug/L (max)

Diuron 0.1ug/L (max)

Haloxyfop 0.07ug/L (max)

Imazapic 0.03ug/L (max)

Imidacloprid 0.18ug/L (max)

Metolachlor 0.35ug/L (max)

PFAS also detected

Oct 3 2022: Glyphosate found inside Australian’s urine

The age group most at risk of having weedkiller in their system

Oct 3 2022.

One-in-12 Australians have a common weedkiller in their system, research has discovered, but who is most at risk is not evenly spread across the population.

Researchers from the University of Queensland tested urine samples from more than 1800 Australians, finding 8 per cent had low levels of glyphosate in their system.

Dr Sarit Kaserzon from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences said the result was good news, relatively speaking, when compared with the rates of the chemical found in other countries.

“In the United States, for example, according to the CDC report recently 80 to 90 per cent of samples came back positive,” she said.

“In France they recorded even higher numbers, so we’re very relieved to see that levels are much lower in Australia, but there’s still things to examine about how people are being exposed here.”

Kaserzon stressed that the levels at which the chemical was found in people’s systems were below the recommended safe guidelines, meaning that even the people who had it in their system were probably not at risk.

However much work was being done on the effect of glyphosate on humans, and what was a “safe” level was yet to be determined sufficiently, she said.

The question is the subject of legal action, including an Australian class action against chemical giant Monsanto, scheduled for hearing in 2023.

The urine samples were sourced from pathology samples which had been de-identified except for demographic information such as age and sex.

The research discovered people in the 45-60 age group were much more likely to have glyphosate in their system.

Kaserzon said they did not have any direct evidence, but the levels involved and the age group suggested it was household gardeners who were directly using products containing glyphosate.

The UQ researchers partnered with New Zealand’s Massey University to compare the Australian levels with 27 farmers who work with glyphosate in that country.

They found the farmers’ levels were much higher than the samples from Australia, which gave them an indication that people who directly used the product were most at risk, rather than people acquiring it through food and drink.

Lead research author, UQ PhD candidate Garth Campbell, said the finding suggested extra precautions should be taken by anyone using glyphosate products, even casually.

“Farmers or anyone else who regularly use chemicals containing glyphosate should wear goggles, protective gloves and avoid inhalation of dust and mist,” he said.

“I also highly recommend additional measures including protective clothing, mask wearing and hand washing after handling a product with glyphosate, and ensure it is stored safely.”

Kaserzon said more monitoring was needed to get more accurate figures about its prevalence in the population.

“More research is also needed into whether adults excrete it from their urine at the same rate,” she said.

“We assume that 20 per cent of [glyphosate] you ingest is excreted, but recent studies suggest it could be as low as 1 per cent, which means we’re under-estimating how much people are exposed.

“For the general population it might not make much difference but it would have a huge impact on farmers, which means more work is needed.”

2022 October: Peregrine Falcon Resurgence coming back from near Extinction

The peregrine falcon’s ‘remarkable’ resurgence coming back from near extinction

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-03/sa-peregrine-falcons-resurgence/101494554

The peregrine falcon looks set to hit another milestone in its unlikely comeback from the brink of extinction.

The bird of prey is the fastest animal on the planet and its ‘rare’ conservation status is currently under review in South Australia.

Experts predict that status will be changed, making it the last state in the country to list the species population as ‘secure’.

After decades of pesticide poisoning and persecution, the resurgence of the native bird has been described as “nothing short of remarkable”.

Field ornithologist, Ian Falkenberg — who has been documenting peregrines for 40 years — said research on the peregrine’s population helped Australia avert a “major environmental crisis”.

Chemical destruction

Mr Falkenberg said pesticides widely used by farmers between the 1960s and 1980s almost wiped out the apex predator.

“Those chemicals started to accumulate in the food that they eat,” he said.

“They consume small amounts over time which means that they get a very large dose over a long time.”

Mr Falkenberg said chemicals like DDT, which was a commonly used in agriculture, caused the falcons to lay thinner eggs leading to a dramatic drop in the number of chicks being hatched.

“It caused a 28 per cent decrease in eggshell thinning and basically an egg won’t hatch if it’s at 25 per cent,” he said.

“If we kept using these chemicals for another decade essentially we would have been in the situation that America and parts of Europe were in, with the falcon being wiped out in some areas.”

The decline in population sparked bans across the country on the use of certain deadly pesticides in the late 1980s.

“We have a lot to be indebted to for the peregrine falcon alerting various countries on the devastation that these chemicals can actually cause,” Mr Falkenberg said.

“It is a great story and one in which by looking at wildlife populations we can determine the health of the environment.”

The falcon feud

The peregrine’s diet consists mostly of other birds, and it’s one of the most efficient apex-predators in the world.

But its particular love for eating pigeons has also made it the subject of persecution.

“Peregrine falcons have been blamed for killing racing pigeons over the years,” Mr Falkenberg said.

“I know this, because a lot of the birds that I’ve been banding over the years, the band returns were sent back to me by pigeon racing clubs.”

While peregrine hunting is mostly a thing of the past, the falcon remains a heated topic among pigeon racers.

Tom Tirrell has been racing pigeons for 60 years and said he loses at least 40 per cent of his flock a season to the falcon.

“I can remember a time when you would take your birds as a junior, we flew 13 pigeons and we lost 1 pigeon on either line,” he said.

“Now if you start with 50 or a 100 pigeons you would struggle to get 20 or 30 at the end of the season.”

The veteran racer said his beloved pigeons do not stand a chance against a bird capable of flying up to 300 kilometres per hour.

“They create havoc and just put them down to ground or put them through trees,” Mr Tirrell said.

“It’s not like a warm fluffy pigeon that to me doesn’t do anything.”

“They’re out and out killers.”

But Mr Falkenberg said that peregrines play an important role in reducing the number of pest species like pigeons.

“They were trying to portray these Falcons as just simply ruthless killers of their pets, which simply wasn’t the case,” he said.

“The domestic pigeon is actually a feral animal, and causes significant environmental problems in some areas.”

“They take over nesting sites of native birds and spread disease.”

“We also found that 25 per cent of feral pigeons around buildings have pigeon racing rings on them.”

The feud between pigeon racers and peregrines was so serious that racing groups in the 1970s called for the hawk to be killed and for their heads to be sent to the clubs in containers.

City life ‘a perfect alternative’

After almost being extinct, experts believe there may be more peregrines now than ever before.

It means nesting sites have become more common, even among urban environments like the ABC Adelaide office in Collinswood.

Ecologist Stuart Collard said that is because peregrines have adapted better than any other native animal to city-life.

“They’ve been able to adapt to that environment, so typically they would nest on a cliff so they might find a ledge on a cliff but a high-rise building is also a perfect alternative,” he said.

“So they’ve got a high vantage point that’s nice and protected and they have access to prey.”

“It’s terrific and it’s unusual that species actually go the other way. Oftentimes in an urban environment we’re watching species decline”

Dr Collard, who is also an operations manager for Green Adelaide, said the organisation is looking to set-up a peregrine nest live camera, like the one on Collins Street in Melbourne.

“We’d love to have a similar sort of story which engages thousands of people like it does in Victoria,” Dr Collard said.

28/9/22: Blueberry Blues – Coffs Harbour

Blueberry blues: how the cash crop is causing a contamination crisis in Coffs Harbour

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/28/blueberry-blues-how-the-cash-crop-is-causing-a-contamination-crisis-in-coffs-harbour

High levels of chemicals used to grow the berries are ending up in the water – and it’s community groups, rather than regulators, who are blowing the whistle.

In a region once famous for its Big Banana, blueberries are now the dominant crop. The berries account for $200m of the $250m agriculture industry in the Coffs Harbour district.

But with the change of use came concerns in this idyllic community on the New South Wales mid north coast about the environmental impact of pesticides and fertiliser runoff from these intensive farms. It may now be reaching a crisis, according to some scientists.

During heavy rain, water can be seen coursing down hills into creeks and rivers carrying sediment, high levels of fertiliser and other chemicals that are used to grow and protect blueberries.

It ultimately ends up in lakes and the sea, and scientists warn it is now threatening the north coast’s other major industries: fishing and prawn trawling.

The Coffs Harbour city council has been increasingly intervening to demand development applications when farms are set up or expanded in order to manage the problem.

The story of blueberries in the Coffs Harbour region is a salutary lesson in how pesticides and other agricultural chemicals are regulated.

Who monitors pesticides in the environment?

In theory, pesticide use and environmental monitoring fall to state environment protection authorities. But in practice it’s often left to community groups, academics and activist councillors to blow the whistle.

Policing proper use of pesticides is split between the state environment and agriculture agencies.

There are few resources devoted to the issue, yet pesticides are by their nature some of our most toxic poisons, so their escape into waterways or other parts of the environment can have serious unintended consequences.

While regulators acknowledged and responded to the dangers of DDT and other organochlorines, it is now known that seemingly safer new-generation pesticides, such as the neonicotinoids, can have an impact on bees and aquatic life even at very small doses.

Only the most dramatic events seem to gain official attention.

In 2020 the Victorian Environment Protection Authority took action against a commercial flower grower in the coastal town of Torquay after nearby residents suffered vision impairment, sore throats, breathing difficulties, headaches, nausea and vomiting.

Investigators found the chemical was being used to prepare ground for a new crop, but had been incorrectly applied and reacted with moist soil to produce methyl isothiocyanate, which is a hazardous gas.

Three people were taken to hospital by ambulance and a fourth transported himself. The grower was fined $70,000 without conviction.

The Victorian EPA said it did not have any statistics on other pesticide incidents and directed the Guardian to the agriculture department.

In NSW, the state’s EPA is responsible for policing both chemical use and pollution in the environment, including spray drift incidents.

It said it takes “a risk-based approach to pesticides and works with other agencies, industry, academic institutions and public interest groups”.

Over the past three years, there have been only two successful prosecutions of Pesticides Act offences in NSW. The EPA has also issued 30 advisory letters, 27 formal warnings, 30 official cautions, three clean-up actions and one prevention notice.

‘Hearnes Lake isn’t dead but it’s nearly dead’

It took more than 130 incident reports from the community and research by Southern Cross University in association with the Coffs Harbour council in 2017-18 to get official action over the impacts of the rapid expansion of blueberry farms and other intensive horticulture in the region.

Researchers found that nitrogen oxide levels in creeks feeding into the Hearnes Lake catchment were up to 695 times higher during high rainfall events than in dry weather and levels were as high as the worst rivers in China. This was attributed to fertiliser runoff.

Hearnes Lake is particularly important because it serves as a nursery for the nearby Solitary Islands marine park, which in turn nurtures the abundant seafood of the region.

Finally the Natural Resources Access Regulator stepped in on water use issues and the EPA undertook inspections and testing around Hearnes Lake, focusing on the impact of pesticides and fertilisers.

In October 2021 it issued a $7,500 fine and a caution to a blueberry farmer at Woolgoolga over pesticide pollution and storage. It has also put out guidance notes in an effort to raise standards of pesticide use among blueberry growers.

Nine inspections in late 2021 detected low levels of the insecticide imidacloprid – a neonicotinoid – and two cucumber growers were issued with cleanup notices over pesticide containers left near waterways.

Even tiny amounts of imidacloprid can be highly toxic to aquatic life.

Southern Cross University marine science professor Kirsten Benkendorff said her research has found residues of neonicotinoids above the safe residue limits in prawn flesh and in water in Hearnes Lake.

Pesticides had also been found in oysters and while it is causing stress, they seem to be more resistant, she said.

“Hearnes Lake isn’t dead but it’s nearly dead,” she said.

Further up the coast in the Richmond River, Benkendorff has detected high levels of atrazine, a potent endocrine disrupter that affects sexual development and has been linked to cancer. It is banned in Europe but still used on sugar cane and other crops in Australia.

The EPA announced in May it is targeting pesticide use in the Hearnes Lake catchment.

Spray drift and the burden of proof

One of the biggest problems for the regulation of pesticides in the environment is that the burden of proof falls on academics and the community.

Benkendorff said it cost more than $300 for each of her samples to be tested for pesticides, putting it beyond the reach of many communities. Separate tests were needed to detect glyphosate (sold as Roundup or Zero), one of the most common herbicides in use in Australia.

Matt Landos, a veterinarian and honorary lecturer in aquatic health at the University of Sydney, said the environment protection authorities are often reluctant to follow up on allegations of spray drift or concerns about environmental pollution because of the difficulty in getting a successful prosecution.

Spray drift incidents need to be investigated quickly and people reporting them often faced an almost insurmountable burden of establishing who was spraying and where the drift came from, Landos said

23/9/21: Hing Lee Hong Enterprise Ltd (China). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Carbendazim

Hing Lee Hong Enterprise Ltd (China) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Carbendazim

23/9/21: Dried Longan – Hing Lee Hong Enterprise Ltd (China): Carbendazim 0.06mg/kg. Not permitted in this food

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

17/9/21: Progressive Mango Growers Multan. Breaching Australian MRL: Tebuconazole

Progressive Mango Growers Multan (Pakistan) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Tebuconazole

17/9/21: Mangos Fresh – Progressive Mango Growers Multan (Pakistan): Tebuconazole 0.13mg/kg. Detected in excess of MRL

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

17/9/21: Manahel Group (Egypt). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos

Manahel Group (Egypt) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Chlorpyrifos

17/9/21: Okra – Manahel Group (Egypt): Chlorpyrifos 0.02mg/kg. Not permitted on this food

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

15/9/21: Song Tran Import and Export (Vietnam). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Carbendazim

Song Tran Import and Export Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Carbendazim

15/9/21: Frozen whole durian – Song Tran Import and Export Co Ltd (Vietnam): Carbendazim 0.13mg/kg. Not permitted on this food

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

24/8/21: Rgn Exports (India). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos

Rgn Exports (India) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Chlorpyrifos

24/8/21: Fresh kolkata betel leaves – Rgn Exports (India): Chlorpyrifos 0.03mg/kg

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

28/7/21: Anatolia (Iran). Breached Australian MRL. Pesticide: Propargite

Anatolia (Iran) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Propargite

28/7/21: Pitted Dates – Anatolia (Iran): Propargite 0.11mg/kg Not permitted on this food

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

26/8/21: Xiangyang Tianma Zhonge Trading Co Ltd (China). Breaching Australian MRL’s: Pesticides: Myclobutanil, Pyraclostrobin

Xiangyang Tianma Zhonge Trading Co Ltd (China) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Myclobutanil, Pyraclostrobin

26/8/21: Dried Lemon Slices – Xiangyang Tianma Zhonge Trading Co Ltd (China): Myclobutanil 0.1mg/kg

26/8/21: Dried Lemon Slices – Xiangyang Tianma Zhonge Trading Co Ltd (China): Pyraclostrobin 0.54mg/kg

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

2/8/21: Hunan Duoying Agricultural Science Co Ltd (China). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Flusilazole

Hunan Duoying Agricultural Science Co Ltd (China) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Flusilazole

2/8/21: Fresh sugar snap pea – Hunan Duoying Agricultural Science and Technology Co Ltd (China) – Pesticide: Flusilazole 0.1mg/kg. Not permitted on this food

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

23/7/21: Tropical Green Co Ltd (Thailand). Breaching Australian MRL for Chlorpyrifos

Tropical Green Co Ltd (Thailand) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Chlorpyrifos

23/7/21: Fresh mangosteens – Tropical Green Co Ltd (Thailand) – Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos 0.36mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

2021: Pt Mitratani Dua Tujuh (Indonesia). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Permethrin

Pt Mitratani Dua Tujuh (Indonesia) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Permethrin

22/7/21: Edamame soybeans in pod – Pt Mitratani Dua Tujuh (Indonesia) – Pesticide: Permethrin 0.08mg/kg

21/9/21: Soybeans in pod – Pt Mitratani Dua Tujuh (Indonesia) – Pesticide: Permethrin 0.08mg/kg. Detected in excess of MRL

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

12/7/21: Red Dragon Co Ltd (Vietnam). Pesticide: Cypermethrin

Red Dragon Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Cypermethrin

12/7/21: Fresh Lychee – Red Dragon Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Cypermethrin 0.132mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

2/7/21: Shanghai Dongmei Import and Export Co Ltd (China). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Cyhalothrin

Shanghai Dongmei Import and Export Co Ltd (China) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Cyhalothrin

2/7/21: Frozen Spinach – Shanghai Dongmei Import and Export Co Ltd (China) – Pesticide: Cyhalothrin detected – not permitted in this food. 0.011mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

August 25 2022: 70 Flying Foxes Poisoned. Pesticide: Dieldrin

Suspected poisoning of Shoalhaven flying-foxes

25 Aug 2022

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/news/suspected-poisoning-of-shoalhaven-flying-foxes

Up to 70 grey-headed flying-foxes found dead in the Shoalhaven area earlier this year may have been poisoned, prompting authorities to remind people to properly dispose of chemicals and pesticides.

Mike Saxon from the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) said tragically a banned organochlorine pesticide, Dieldrin, was confirmed in one flying-fox and there are signs that others had also ingested a poison.

“At this stage we have not been able to identify any person responsible and we do not know if this was a deliberate or accidental poisoning,” Mr Saxon said.

“We are continuing enquiries but regardless, this tragic incident highlights the horrible impact banned pesticides have on our native wildlife.

“Grey-headed flying-foxes play a vital role in our environment pollinating our forests and dispersing our rainforest seeds. They also feed on fruit, including backyard fruit trees.

“We know this can frustrate gardeners but remind people that grey-headed flying-foxes are listed as a threatened species in New South Wales. They are protected under the Biodiversity Conservation Act and it is an offence to harm them,” Mr Saxon said.

The department is partnering with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to inform the community about risks associated with improper storage and use of pesticides. Director of Regulatory Operations Cate Woods said the use of Dieldrin has been banned in Australia since 1987, noting that it can accumulate in native animals and livestock and contaminate soil for decades.

“This is a good reminder to check areas of your property where old pesticide or chemical stocks may be forgotten and dispose of them lawfully,” Ms Wood said.

“Any old stocks of organochlorine pesticides like Dieldrin should be stored securely and properly labelled until they can be safely disposed of at a Household Chemical CleanOut event.

“These events accept household quantities up to a maximum of 20 litres or 20 kilograms of a single chemical or item. They are free services held across New South Wales.

“The next Household Chemical Clean Out Event in the Shoalhaven is this Sunday, 28 August, 9 am–3 pm at the Woollamia Council Works Depot, 3 Erina Road Woollamia.

“We much prefer that people come forward and dispose of these chemicals or poisons correctly, rather than try to dispose of them another way that may end up harming our environment and wildlife,” Ms Wood said.

The department would like to thank the team at Wildlife Rescue South Coast, North Nowra Veterinary Hospital, Taronga Zoo and volunteers who helped recover and identify the cause of death for these flying-foxes

June 2021: Malar Exports (India). Breaching Australian MRL’s: Carbendazim, Chlorpyrifos, Difenconazole, Metalaxyl

Malar Exports (India) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Carbendazim, Chlorpyrifos, Difenconazole, Metalaxyl

28/6/21: Betel leaves – Malar Exports (India) – Pesticide: Carbendazim Detected – not permitted in this food

28/6/21: Betel leaves – Malar Exports (India) – Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos 0.18mg/kg

28/6/21: Betel leaves – Malar Exports (India) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.05mg/kg

28/6/21: Betel leaves – Malar Exports (India) – Pesticide: Metalaxyl 0.49mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

1/6/21: Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) breaching Australian MRL’s. Pesticides: Difenconazole, Metalaxyl, Cyhalothrin

Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Difenconazole, Metalaxyl, Cyhalothrin

1/6/21: Frozen red chilli – Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.1mg/kg

1/6/21: Frozen red chilli – Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Metalaxyl 0.16mg/kg

1/6/21: Frozen red chilli – Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.15mg/kg

1/6/21: Frozen mixed chilli – Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.14mg/kg

1/6/21: Frozen mixed chilli – Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.07mg/kg

1/6/21: Frozen green chilli – Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.06mg/kg

1/6/21: Frozen green chilli – Nguyen Thanh lep Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Cyhalothrin Detected, not permitted in this food

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

18/5/21: Shenzhen J.F.Li Fruit Co Ltd (China), breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Cyhalothrin

Shenzhen J.F.Li Fruit Co Ltd (China) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Cyhalothrin

18/5/21: Pear – Shenzhen J.F.Li Fruit Co Ltd (China) – Pesticide: Cyhalothrin Detected – not permitted in this food

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

21/5/21: D & T Green Foods (Vietnam), breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Difenconazole

D & T Green Foods Ltd (Vietnam) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Difenconazole

21/5/21: Frozen Red Chilli – D & T Green Foods Co Ltd (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.055mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

2021: Benz Exports (India). Breaching Australian MRL’s. Pesticides: Chlorpyrifos, Profenofos, Cypermethrin

Benz Exports (India) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Chlorpyrifos, Profenfos, Cypermethrin

14/5/21: Spinach – Benz Exports (India) – Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos. 0.074mg/kg

14/5/21: Broad bean pods – Benz Exports (India) – Pesticide: Profenofos. 0.072mg/kg

2/9/21: Whole broad beans – Benz Exports (India) – Pesticide: Cypermethrin. 0.07mg/kg

2/9/21: Whole broad beans – Benz Exports (India) – Pesticide: Profenofos. 0.17mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

10/5/21: M. Mandoor and Co Pak, breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Propargite

M. Mandoor and Co Pak Ltd (Pakistan) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Propargite

10/5/21: Raisins – M. Mandoor & Co Pak Ltd (Pakistan) – Pesticide: Propargite. Not permitted in this food.

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

14/4/21: Yongzhou Huiyou Agriculture Development Limited Company (China), breaching Australian MRL’s for Thiamethoxam, Difenconazole

Yongzhou Huiyou Agriculture Development Limited Company (China) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Thiamethoxam, Difenconazole

14/4/21: Snow Peas – Yongzhou Huiyou Agriculture Development Limited Company (China) – Pesticide: Thiamethoxam 0.02mg/kg.

14/4/21: Snow Peas – Yongzhou Huiyou Agriculture Development Limited Company (China) – Pesticide: Difenconazole 0.08mg/kg.

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

2021: Patidar Exports Pvt Ltd. Breaching Australian MRL’s. Pesticides: Thiamethoxam, Carbendazim

Patidar Exports Pvt Ltd (India) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Thiamethoxam, Carbendazim

1/4/21: Raisins Sultana – Patidar Exports Pvt Ltd (India) – Pesticide: Thiamethoxam 0.25mg/kg.

20/4/21: Raisins – Patidar Exports Pvt Ltd (India) – Pesticide: Carbendazim 0.5mg/kg.

28/6/21: Raisin sultana – Patidar Exports Pvt Ltd (India) – Pesticide: Carbendazim 1.19mg/kg.

28/6/21: Raisin sultana – Patidar Exports Pvt Ltd (India) – Pesticide: Carbendazim 1.28mg/kg.

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

16/3/21: Dakahlia (Egypt). Breaching Australian MRL for Mandarins. Pesticide: Pendimethalin

Dakahlia (Egypt) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Pendimethalin

16/3/21: Mandarins – Dakahlia (Egypt) – Pesticide: Pendimethalin 0.08mg/kg.

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

16/2/21: Eastern Condiments (India). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: 2-Phenylphenol

Eastern Condiments (India) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: 2-Phenylphenol

16/2/21: Cambodge tamarind fruit – Eastern Condiments Pvt Ltd (India) – Pesticide: 2-Phenylphenol. 0.37mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

2021 February: JM Exports Tonga, breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Acephate

JM Exports (Tonga) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Acephate

9/2/21: Frozen Yam – JM Exports (Tonga) – Pesticide: Acephate. Detected. Not permitted in this food.

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

2021: Jayalanka Supplier (Sri Lanka). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: 2-Phenylphenol

Jayalanka Supplier (Sri Lanka) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: 2-Phenylphenol

8/2/21: Goraka Fruit – Jayalanka Supplier (Sri Lanka) – Pesticide: 2-Phenylphenol. Detected. 0.37mg/kg

4/6/21: Goraka Fruit – Jayalanka Supplier (Sri Lanka) – Pesticide: 2-Phenylphenol. Detected. 0.22mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

8/2/21: Guangzhou Meixiang Yang Catering Management Co Ltd (China). Breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Carbendazim

Guangzhou Meixiang Yang Catering Management Co Ltd (China) – Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Carbendazim

8/2/21: Dried Longan – Guangzhou Meixiang Yang Catering Management Co Ltd (China) – Pesticide: Carbendazim. Detected. Not permitted in this product

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

February 2021: PDS FZE (United Arab Emirates). Breaching Australian MRL for Cypermethrin

PDS FZE (United Arab Emirates) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL for: Cypermethrin

1/2/21: Dried Fig – PDS (FZE) (United Arab Emirates): Cypermethrin 0.27mg/kg

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

2021 January: Nolka Limited (Papua New Guinea). Breaching Australian MRL for Cyhalothrin

Nolka Limited (Papua New Guinea) – Exported Food breaching Australian MRL for: Cyhalothrin

25/1/21: Chilli – Nolka Limited (Papua New Guinea): Cyhalothrin Detected. Not permitted in this food.

Source: AQIS Failing Food Surveys. Department of Agriculture Australia

2021 January: SPN Exports (India). Breaching Australian MRL’s for Carbendazim, Profenofos, Chlorpyrifos, Fipronil, Metalaxyl

SPN Exports (India) Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Indoxacarb

18/1/21: Fresh betel leaves line 1a – SPN Exports (India) – Pesticide: Carbendazim Detected not permitted in this food.

18/1/21: Fresh betel leaves line 1a – SPN Exports (India) – Pesticide: Profenofos 5.5225 mg/kg.

18/1/21: Fresh betel leaves line 1b – SPN Exports (India) – Pesticide: Carbendazim Detected not permitted in this food.

18/1/21: Fresh betel leaves line 1b – SPN Exports (India) – Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos Detected not permitted in this food.

18/1/21: Fresh betel leaves line 1b – SPN Exports (India) – Pesticide: Fipronil Detected not permitted in this food.

18/1/21: Fresh betel leaves line 1a – SPN Exports (India) – Pesticide: Metalaxyl 0.4039 mg/kg.

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

2021 January: Orange for Agricultural Crops (Egypt) breaching Australian MRL for Indoxacarb

Orange for Agricultural Crops (Egypt) Exported Food breaching Australian MRL’s for: Indoxacarb

15/1/21: Fresh Lemons (Egypt) – Orange for Agricultural Crops (Egypt) – Pesticide: Indoxacarb 1.16mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

202January 2021: Qingdao Oea Foods Co Ltd, breaching Australian MRL for Procymidone

Qingdao Oea Foods Co Ltd. breaching Australian MRL for Procymidone

15/1/21: Frozen Brocolli (China) Qingdao Oea Foods Co Ltd Procymidone Detected not permitted in this food

January 2021: Goodlife Company Ltd (Vietnam), breaching Australian MRL’s for Carbendazim, Cypermethrin, Iprodione, Permethrin

Goodlife Company Ltd. (Vietnam) breaching Australian MRL for Carbendazim, Cypermethrin, Iprodione, Permethrin

5/1/21: Dragon Fruit (Vietnam) Goodlife Company Ltd. Carbendazim Detected. Not permitted in this food.

5/1/21: Dragon Fruit (Vietnam) Goodlife Company Ltd. Cypermethrin 0.069mg/kg.

5/1/21: Dragon Fruit (Vietnam) Goodlife Company Ltd. Iprodione 0.16mg/kg.

5/1/21: Dragon Fruit (Vietnam) Goodlife Company Ltd. Permethrin 0.39mg/kg.

December 2020: Anqiu Artisan Agricultural Products Co Ltd. (China) Breaching Australian MRL for Thiabendazole

Anqiu Artisan Agricultural Products Co Ltd. breaching Australian MRL for Thiabendazole

15/12/20: Garlic Shoots (China) Anqiu Artisan Agricultural Products Co Ltd. Thiabendazole 0.28mg/kg

26/11/20: Patel Chaturbhai Ranchholdbhai Pulses breaching Australian MRL. Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos

Patel Chaturbhai Ranchhodbhai Pulses Llp breaching Australian MRL for Chlorpyrifos

26/11/20: Toor dal (pea) – Patel Chaturbhai Ranchhodbhai Pulses Llp (India) – Pesticide: Chlorpyrifos 0.017mg/kg

November 2020: BJ & T Stock Company (Vietnam), breaching MRL’s for Carbendazim, Iprodione

BJ & T Joint Stock Company breaching Australian MRL’s for: Carbendazim

20/11/20: Frozen Whole Jurian- BJ & T Joint Stock Company (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Carbendazim 0.18mg/kg

20/11/20: Frozen Whole Jurian- BJ & T Joint Stock Company (Vietnam) – Pesticide: Iprodione 0.39mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

October 2020: Jay Keshav Exports breaching Australian MRL’s. Pesticide: Cyhalothrin

Jay Keshav Exports Pvt Ltd breaching Australian MRL’s for: Cyhalothrin

7/10/20: Manuka Sultana Currant – Jay Keshav Exports Pvt Ltd (India) – Pesticide: Cyhalothrin 0.66mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

October 2020: Micson Food Processing (China). Breaching Australian MRL’s

Micson Food Processing breaching Australian MRL’s for: Cypermethrin, Propargite

7/10/20: Pitted Red Dates – Micson Food Processing (China) – Pesticide: Cypermethrin 0.15mg/kg

7/10/20: Pitted Red Dates – Micson Food Processing (China) – Pesticide: Propargite 0.073mg/kg

Source Failing Food Report – Australian Department of Agriculture (AQIS)

13/3/19: Bool Lagoon South Australia. Helicopter Spraying Accident

13/3/19: Bool Lagoon South Australia

Wirestrike involving a Robinson R44, VH-ZWK, 20 km from Naracoorte, South Australia, on 13 March 2019

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2019/aair/ao-2019-011/

What happened

On 13 March 2019, a Robinson R44 helicopter, registered VH-ZWK and operated by Helifarm, was conducting aerial spraying operations at Bool Lagoon, around 20 km south of Naracoorte, South Australia.

While spraying along a drainage channel, the helicopter pilot momentarily forgot about the location of a powerline spanning the channel, as he manoeuvred the helicopter over a bridge. The helicopter collided with the powerline, then crashed into the ground. The helicopter was destroyed and the pilot sustained minor injuries.

What the ATSB found

The helicopter pilot momentarily lost awareness of the powerline as he manoeuvred over the bridge. Nearby vegetation, which reduced the pilot’s ability to see the power poles and visually identify the powerline, probably reduced the pilot’s ability to maintain this awareness. The operator had a number of policies and procedures to support pilots’ powerline awareness, and it may not be possible to completely mitigate the risk of wirestrike during repeated low-level flying near powerlines.

As a result of this momentary loss of awareness, the helicopter collided with the powerline, which led to a collision with terrain. The bladder-type fuel tank installed in the accident helicopter, as compared to an all-aluminium fuel tank, probably reduced the risk of a post-accident fire.

What’s been done as a result

The operator has implemented new policies and procedures to increase pilots’ awareness of powerlines during spraying operations, particularly spraying of drains. These include improved maps and other planning documents for drain spraying operations involving flying near powerlines, and increased training of helicopter pilots engaged in these operations.

Safety message

This accident provides another reminder of the dangers posed by powerlines during low-level spraying operations.

The ATSB has released, in association with the Aerial Application Association of Australia (AAAA), an educational booklet, Wirestrikes involving known wires: A manageable aerial agriculture hazard (AR-2011-028). This booklet contains numerous wirestrike accidents and lessons learned from them. The AAAA has now launched its Powerline Safety Program that aims to encourage and facilitate power companies to improve aviation safety. The program includes marking of powerlines by powerline network operators (with a marker in accordance with Australian Standard AS 3891-2) wherever it is requested by a pilot, aviation company or landholder.

As this accident highlights, there may be limits to the extent to which operators can mitigate the risk of wirestrike during repeated low-level operations near powerlines. Helicopter wirestrike protection (WSPS) can provide a last line of defence in the event of a wirestrike. Some aircraft selected for aerial agriculture operations can be configured to include WSPS. However, this technology is not currently available on smaller helicopters such as the R44.

Pilots and operators involved in low-level spraying are also reminded that flight helmets can reduce the risk of serious injury in the event of an accident.

31/7/20: Steam Plains (NSW) Helicopter Accident

31/7/20: Crop Duster Accident near Hay (NSW)

ATSB issues helmet warning in final report on Riverina helicopter crash that killed Dan Slennett

March 14 2022: https://www.areanews.com.au/story/7648207/atsb-issues-safety-warning-in-final-report-on-fatal-helicopter-crash/

Investigators have handed down their final report into the death of a Griffith-based helicopter pilot in a crash near Hay and have called for checks on safety equipment and procedures.

Dan Slennett, aged 34 and originally from Condobolin, suffered fatal injuries on July 31, 2020 when the Robinson R44 Raven helicopter he was piloting sustained significant damage in a crash.

Mr Slennett died three days later at Royal Melbourne Hospital.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released its report on Friday, which found the helicopter hit a single wire power line and then the ground while Mr Slennett was spraying for weeds at a Steam Plains property, between Conargo and Hay.

“The pilot knew the wire existed and overflew a small section of the target area earlier that morning, but did not conduct an aerial inspection to identify hazards and verify the location of the powerline on the accident flight,” the report stated.

“Without the aerial hazard check, the pilot was reliant on seeing the wire during the flight, but was unable to do so in time to avoid the wirestrike.”

As a result of the investigation, the ATSB has issued a safety advisory notice to strongly encourage pilots that work at a low altitude to wear a flight helmet and ensure it is properly maintained, fitted and secured with a chin strap.

Mr Slennett was wearing a helmet during the crash but it was not effective in preventing fatal injuries.

“Either the impact forces exceeded the helmet design specifications, or the helmet was not fitted, worn or maintained correctly,” the ATSB report stated.

The ATSB found that Mr Slennett’s was likely wearing the same helmet when he suffered facial injuries during a crash in 2018 but there was no evidence it had subsequently been inspected or had maintenance.

Mr Slennett was working for Riverina Helicopters at the time of his death, a company that operates out of Griffith Airport.

Riverina Helicopters said it had changed ownership since the crash and was unable to comment.

Investigators were also unable to conclude whether Mr Slennett slipped out of his three-point restraint or was not wearing it, which led to flail injuries during the crash.

The ATSB also found that Mr Slennett had been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnoea in January 2020 but had not adhered to using a CPAP machine most nights to improve his breathing during sleep.

“The pilot was not effectively managing severe obstructive sleep apnoea, which has been shown can cause impairments in cognitive functions including attention and short-term memory, and increased the risk of the pilot suffering the effects of fatigue,” the ATSB report stated.

“It could not be determined whether the pilot was experiencing any impairments associated with the condition.

“The condition had also not been disclosed to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which prevented oversight of any ongoing safety risk associated with the condition.”

23/2/22: Pilot killed in crop dusting accident, Seaview Gippsland

23/2/22: Pilot dies after his crop dusting Piper PA-25 plane crashed near Grand Ridge Road Seaview in Gippsland.

15/7/22: Fungicide spill – Western Ring Road, Melbourne

Residents warned after chemical spill on major Melbourne road

(according to other media reports 40 tonnes of a fungicide was spilt)

July 15 2022: https://www.9news.com.au/national/truck-crash-chemical-spill-in-tullamarine-melbourne/0be16f28-2a13-40e4-a035-6098170359a2

Local residents have been warned to stay indoors following a chemical spill in Tullamarine, Melbourne.

A truck carrying hazardous pesticides crashed over a freeway embankment and was left hanging, with the driver trapped, at about 2am on Western Ring Road.

The driver has been rescued and taken to hospital, after he was trapped in the mangled cabin for hours.

But the operation is still underway, with pesticide spilled across the road.

An exclusion zone is in place, with people in Tullamarine warned to avoid the area and also to stay indoors.

It’s expected the mop-up operation could take most of the morning.

The truck has still not been removed and the road is closed, with police, fire, ambulance and Rescue Victoria crews on the scene.

Police have said it is an “incredibly delicate” operation.

Drivers this morning are advised to avoid the area, including Caterpillar Road and parts of Melrose Drive.

However, the airport should still be accessible through other routes.

Police were unsure as to the causes of the crash, but an investigation is underway.

2022 July: Why are pesticides banned overseas still used in Australia…?

Why are pesticides banned overseas still used in Australia and what does it mean for the environment?

British campaigners say Australia uses toxic pesticides prohibited in the UK on health and environmental grounds. Here’s how the countries differ

July 11 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/11/why-are-pesticides-banned-overseas-still-used-in-australia-and-what-does-it-mean-for-the-environment

Environmental campaigners in the UK have expressed concern that a trade deal could result in the importation of Australian food that is produced with pesticides banned there.

The Australia-UK free trade agreement, which was signed last December, has been criticised in the UK as being too liberalised on pesticides. A bill to implement the trade deal has not yet been passed by the UK parliament.

Josie Cohen of Pesticide Action UK told the Guardian last week that Australia uses toxic pesticides that are banned in the UK on health and environmental grounds. “They also permit residue levels many times more than in the UK,” she said.

According to the organisation, Australia authorises the use of 144 highly hazardous pesticides, compared with 73 permitted in the UK.

How do Australia’s pesticide regulations differ from the UK, what pesticides are used in Australia but banned overseas, and what health and environmental impacts do they have?

Banned overseas, permitted in Australia

All pesticides approved for use in Australia are regulated by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). Certain pesticides that are available in Australia are no longer in use overseas.

For example, paraquat, a herbicide used since the 1950s, has been banned in more than 50 countries including the UK. Research has linked it to negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems and it is highly toxic to humans. But in Australia paraquat has been under review by the APVMA since the 1990s and is still used commercially.

A class of substances called neonicotinoids have been used on Australian crops – including cotton, canola and fruit and vegetables – since 1994. Common neonicotinoid substances have been banned in the EU and UK, and restricted in the US and Canada, out of concern for negative impacts on insects – specifically European honeybee populations.

Fipronil, an insect nerve agent, is also banned in the EU and UK to protect honeybees but is approved for use in Australia.

“The scientific information available indicates that managed and wild honeybee populations are not in decline in Australia,” the APVMA stated in 2019, when it began a review into neonicotinoids. But honeybee populations may now be at risk if the deadly varroa mite, detected in the past fortnight in New South Wales, establishes itself in Australia.

Different regulatory approaches

“The risks and benefits of the same pesticide can differ markedly between countries, and this may lead to different regulations,” says Nicholas Buckley, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Sydney. “Various things drive stricter regulation – there’s environmental concerns, chronic effects on human health, from use or food residues, and acute poisoning risks.”

“For some of the pesticides, the concerns relate to the environment and not humans. People are worried about bee toxicity, for example with neonicotinoids and fipronil, which are not very dangerous substances for humans, but kill bees with tiny, tiny exposures,” Buckley says.

“The reason they’re called neonicotinoids is because they act like nicotine, but they’re selective for insects over humans, so they’re less toxic than nicotine [to humans].”

Dr Tanzim Afroz, a lecturer at Edith Cowan University, says Australia’s approach to pesticide regulation is “incautious” compared with UK legislation, which has been influenced by EU policy. “The EU approach is to adopt the ‘precautionary principle’ – where there is scientific uncertainty, take precaution,” she says.

“Australia doesn’t implement the precautionary principle when we’re talking about pesticide management, at the legislative nor at executive level,” Afroz says. Instead, Australia has taken a regulatory approach, which Afroz says stemmed from a belief that “pesticides improve competitiveness and [productivity] of farm businesses”.

“The central purpose of Australian pesticide policy is usually to make pesticides available to those who wish to use them,” Afroz says, noting that approval takes into account specific criteria such as environmental impacts, residues, toxicology and occupational health and safety.

In contrast, a briefing published by the UK parliamentary office of science and technology last September says: “Although pesticides have not yet been established as a definite cause for any chronic health effects, regulatory authorities may withdraw pesticides for use if there is evidence of correlation with health or environmental concerns or significant scientific uncertainty about potential impacts, without the need to prove causality.”

Different environmental factors

Experts have pointed out that pesticide use has benefits in Australia. “Agricultural pesticides have undoubtedly reduced food loss and helped farmers provide the unblemished produce we have grown so used to,” researchers previously wrote in The Conversation.

Nigel Andrew, a professor of entomology at the University of New England, describes pesticide use as a “conundrum”, particularly in light of extreme weather events due to climate change.

“If you don’t use pesticides, you do actually have to have a reduction in the quality of food. But also, if you’re using pesticides which are very generalised, they will have unexpected impacts,” he says.

Warming temperatures may result in pest species spreading in Australia from tropical areas, Andrew says. “We will find more species that will become more problematic because their populations might not be pushed back over winter.”

Farming practices differ between the UK and Australia as the result of different environmental factors, he says. “We can have a bigger issue with pest species in terms of taking out major crops … It’s a bigger landscape with more diverse environments.”

4/7/2022: NSW Central West Spray Drift

Slow-burning problem’: residual ill will about chemical spray drift

4/7/2022: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/04/slow-burning-problem-residual-ill-will-about-chemical-spray-drift

Farmers in NSW’s central west fear chemical exposure is becoming a threat to food production and authorities are slow to respond.

A tourist barrelling along the highways of the central west might not notice anything wrong with the trees, but grazier Bruce Maynard, who has lived his whole life on the same farm between Trangie and Narromine, believes the land is sick.

The canaries in the coalmine are the bare peppercorn trees at the local golf course. Maynard says they were so dense with foliage in his youth that you couldn’t see through them.

He lays out the leaves of native trees – kurrajong, red river gum, bimble box – on his kitchen table, as well as introduced varieties such as yucca; all growing in the New South Wales Orana region, all dotted with the same black necrotic spots.

According to Maynard, the problem has been increasing in severity and rapidity, affecting all vegetation in the area since 2018.

He is a spokesperson for the community overspray groups who believe the passive chemical exposure from cotton farms – which exist in a mosaic among grazing and cropping farms – is a threat to all activities within the affected regions.

Food producers have to certify that their produce has not been exposed to chemicals in ways that would leave residues or cause food risk, Maynard says.

However, producers like him are “trapped” because the vegetation around them indicates chemical exposure is likely to have occurred, yet the responsible authorities are not responding to locals’ reports.

Because the food they produce feeds the nation, and the effect of chemicals on the environment is increasingly recognised as a worldwide public health threat, Maynard says the issue should transcend local concern.

“It’s everybody’s story, not just a bush one any more.”

‘Causal agent’

Last month, Peter Ampt, an adjunct professor in regenerative agriculture at Southern Cross University and an independent consultant, was engaged by the Macquarie Valley Landcare Group to address gatherings in Warren, Trangie and Narromine about conservation.

Ampt says that his observations while in the area on 16 and 17 June were that multiple vegetation species – which should have been growing very strongly after two years of good rainfall – were under stress.

Trees planted only 10 or 15 years ago as carbon sequestration plantings have died in the last five years, “with symptoms of low-level herbicide damage over a period of time leading to that death”, he says.

A report commissioned by the Department of Industry in 2018, obtained via Freedom of Information laws in 2020, states that defoliation in the area was “most likely a result of a large area spraying with temperature inversions moving fine particles of chemical longer distance than would be expected compared to physical droplet spray drift”.

Farmers in NSW’s central west fear chemical exposure is becoming a threat to food production and authorities are slow to respond

The canaries in the coalmine are the bare peppercorn trees at the local golf course. Maynard says they were so dense with foliage in his youth that you couldn’t see through them.

According to Maynard, the problem has been increasing in severity and rapidity, affecting all vegetation in the area since 2018.

Food producers have to certify that their produce has not been exposed to chemicals in ways that would leave residues or cause food risk, Maynard says.

“It’s everybody’s story, not just a bush one any more.”

‘Causal agent’

The latest report commissioned by Macquarie Valley Landcare Group, which Maynard is affiliated with, was published in 2021 by the ecologist David Goldney, an adjunct professor at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.

Goldney said in his opinion, “there is a prima facie case that herbicide drift, particularly in the Autumn period prior to cotton harvesting, is very likely the causal agent in initiating the widespread dieback of native and non-native vegetation in the Narromine–Trangie area”.

A spokesperson for Cotton Australia told the Guardian that their organisation “works closely with relevant government departments in educating, training, and promoting best practice to all farmers in relation to the effective and safe application of chemicals”.

They also highlighted that over 20 different crops are grown in the Narromine/Trangie area, “most of which use agricultural chemicals under strict protocols and regulations”.

Sal Ceeney, a cereal and cotton farmer in Warren, who also works in stewardship for Cotton Australia, said cotton growers ensure chemical application is conducted to “a really high standard”.

“We live in this community, we live in the environment, as well as everybody else here. So we’re all trying to do the best to make sure that the chemicals that are used are done so responsibly.”

Ceeney says unintended spray drift is a concern for all agricultural industries which use the chemical sprays common in modern agriculture.

According to Ampt, the increased number of weeds due to the rain this season leads to an increased frequency and a range of herbicides used to control them, and consequently an increased risk of drift onto neighbouring areas.

‘Evidenced-based response’

Maynard says stakeholders have been trying for over four years to engage with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) about the issue, but the response has consistently been inadequate.

Steve Fuller of the Crop Pollination Association said that honey contamination due to spray drift from cotton was a problem.

“When we do report a spraying … to the EPA, we get told it’s not their issue, it’s to go to another area,” he says.

“When we go to another area, we keep on getting told it’s an EPA issue.”

On 3 May 2021 Narromine free range, pastured and chemical-free egg farmer Colin Hamilton noticed burn spots on leaves and a quarter of his grass die where his hens run, and reported the event to the EPA.

“They didn’t follow up on that at all,” he said.

“Because I couldn’t accurately say who was spraying and where it came from, they wouldn’t do any more work on it.”

Ampt says that while “people that know the landscape well are better able to understand what the impact is, what I suspect is happening is that people are not seeing the problem because it’s a slow-burning problem”.

An EPA spokesperson told the Guardian that “the EPA has actively investigated the potential link between spray drift and alleged defoliation of peppercorn trees in the Narromine and Trangie (Macquarie Valley) area”.

“The EPA investigates all reports made to the environment line, but to date has not found enough evidence to link pesticide overspray or drift with defoliation.”

In 2020, the EPA commenced a broad-scale pilot pesticide monitoring campaign within the Gilgandra, Narromine and Warren local government areas in response to concerns being raised regarding pesticide drift.

The EPA spokesperson told the Guardian that the results to date show that ethephon, the only pesticide detected that is primarily used for cotton defoliation, was detected on two of 71 occasions when samples were collected.

The spokesperson said that the program was disrupted by Covid, but will continue in the Macquarie Valley for the 2022-23 season and be extended to the Narrabri cotton area (Namoi Valley), to examine the scope of the spray drift problem and develop an evidence-based response.

Connecting dots

On December 16 2021, Maynard and other stakeholders, including Landcare and the Nature Conservation Council, held an online meeting with several senior representatives of the EPA, including the then CEO Tracy Mackey.

Jo Immig, the coordinator of the National Toxics Network, expressed her disappointment with the EPA’s lack of action at the meeting.

At the time, Immig said, “the reality is that spray drift is occurring every day. It’s contaminating parts of the environment. It’s getting everywhere. But on your watch, nothing’s happening about it.”

“The implications, I think, if they actually joined dots together, are enormous,” she told the Guardian.

“It fundamentally means we have to rethink the way that so much agriculture is done.

“It’s as confronting as having to think about not using fossil fuels any more. As a result, it ends up in grey area all the time, which is the too hard basket.”

The EPA was approached for comment on the content of the meeting.

2015/20: Ingham (Qld) Drinking Water Bore Water. Pesticides: Atrazine, 2,4-D, Dalapon, Imidacloprid, Desethylatrazine, Hexazinone

Ingham (Qld) Water Supply. Groundwater Bores

Hinchinbrook Shire Council

Drinking Water Quality Management Plan 2021

HIN 995 Groundwater

14/1/15: Atrazine 0.03ug/L

HIN 996 Groundwater

14/1/15: Atrazine 0.03ug/L

HIN 1327 Groundwater

20/3/19: 2,4-D 0.15ug/L, Dalapon (2,2-DPA) 0.4ug//L

HIN 1328 Groundwater

20/3/19: Imadacloprid 0.12ug/L, Atrazine 0.03ug/L, DesethylAtrazine 0.01ug/L, Hexazinone 0.04ug/L

HIN 1330 Groundwater

20/3/19: Dalapon (2,2-DPA) 0.2ug//L, Hexazinone 0.01ug/L, Imidacloprid 0.03ug/L

HIN 1331 Groundwater

20/3/19: Imidacloprid 0.1ug/L, Atrazine 0.03ug/L, DesethylAtrazine 0.01ug/L, Hexazinone 0.03ug/L

HIN 1378 Groundwater

25/3/20: Imidacloprid 0.08ug/L, Hexazinone 0.03ug/L

HIN 1379 Groundwater

25/3/20: Imidacloprid 0.05ug/L, Hexazinone 0.02ug/L

HIN 1380 Groundwater

25/3/20: Imidacloprid 0.08ug/L, Hexazinone 0.04ug/L

HIN 1381 Groundwater

25/3/20: Imidacloprid 0.17ug/L, Atrazine 0.02ug/L, Hexazinone 0.05ug/L

HIN 1212 Groundwater

11/1/18: Imidacloprid 0.03ug/L

HIN 1213 Groundwater

11/1/18: Atrazine 0.02ug/L, Imidacloprid 0.03ug/L

2020/21: Daylesford Water Supply. Pesticides: Simazine, 2,4-D

Daylesford Drinking Water Supply (Wombat Creek Dam?)

2020/21: Simazine 0.09ug/L

2020/21: 2,4-D 0.06ug/L

2020/21: Beaufort (Victoria). Pesticide: Simazine

Beaufort Drinking Water Supply

2020/21: Simazine 0.02ug/L

February 22 2022: Spray Drift Clare (South Australia)

GPSA issues spray-drift warning to growers

Feb 22 2022 (Grain Central)

GRAIN Producers South Australia (GPSA) has warned growers that deliberately ignoring spraying laws could result in fines of up to $35,000 per offence following reports of damage to vineyards in Clare and the Riverland.

GPSA chair Adrian McCabe said the vast majority of grain growers did the right thing and followed the rules as outlined in GPSA’s Hit Your Target campaign.

“Most grain growers in South Australia implement a spraying program safely with consideration of weather conditions, other landholders, households in rural areas and crop types to minimise the risk of off-target spray damage,” Mr McCabe said.

“Grain growers who are deliberately ignoring the considerations of other crops when spraying could receive a maximum penalty of $35,000 per offence, reflecting the seriousness of not following mandatory label instructions.

“It makes good agronomic sense to stay on top of summer weeds through summer spraying to preserve moisture and nitrogen for the 2022 growing season and to prevent seed set for future years.”

Mr McCabe said with rising cost of inputs, particularly herbicides, growers would want to make sure they were getting the best results from their spray applications and not wasting any chemicals.

“However, in doing so, growers must adopt best-practice strategies and equipment to ensure spray drift doesn’t occur that results in damage to other people’s livelihoods.

“Grain growers need to make sure they are spraying safely and following the directions on the product label at all times, otherwise we risk losing access to important, cost-effective products.”

Mr McCabe said many growers have private on-farm weather stations, and a number of publicly platforms such as the Mid North, Riverland and Mallee Mesonet networks provided growers with information as to whether it was safe to spray.

“It would be prudent to subscribe to the Mesonet network to continue the ongoing maintenance of the multi-million system that provides valuable inversion-layer data to grain growers.”

A Riverland farmer was previously fined $7000 for failing to follow mandatory chemical label instructions as an example of what can happen to a grower not doing the right thing when it came to spraying.

March 2022: Rockingham (Western Australia). Poisoned Corellas. Pesticide: Fenthion

Corellas poisoned in Perth with banned substance has authorities worried

March 17 2022

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-17/corellas-poisoned-perth-banned-substance/100915922

Nearly 40 corellas have been mysteriously poisoned with a harmful insecticide that has been banned since 2015.

In the past month, 37 birds have been admitted to the WA Wildlife Hospital after being found at Beeliar Oval in Cockburn, south of Perth, with signs of fenthion toxicity.

But according to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), all fenthion-containing products were phased out of the market by late 2015 because they were deemed to pose “undue risks to the environment and to human health” and are no longer available on the Australian market.

Corellas are considered a pest in many parts of WA and, despite many councils and shires imposing control methods on the corella population, WA Parks and Wildlife Officer Matt Swan labelled the poisoning “abhorrent”.

“The department doesn’t support ad hoc poisoning on a localised level.

“So even though we might be frustrated, we might be angry that corellas are perhaps waking us up in the morning or chewing on our TV antennas, when we lay poison out other animals can consume that poison and they can succumb to that poison as well.”

WA Wildlife’s director of operations Dean Huxley said the centre received daily calls or emails from community members who had found dead birds that were showing signs of poisoning.

“When we get these cluster events, that’s when we’re really concerned,” he said.

“In addition to these ones that we’re seeing at Beeliar Oval, we have had reports of some birds in Rockingham that have just been found dead [with] very similar signs.”

Mr Huxley said it was often difficult to prove animals had been poisoned once they had decomposed in the environment.

“Unfortunately, if the animal does die, we can’t always send them off for testing because there are costs involved with that,” he said.

“But what we do when we get a cluster event, which is what happened here, we work with the authorities to send animals off for testing and try and get some results and definitive answers.”

Mr Huxley said one-third of the corellas with signs of poisoning had survived and recovered.

Authorities stress ‘humane’ population control

According to the WA Department of Parks and Wildlife, corellas are considered a “low conservation value species” and are not endangered in Western Australia.

“That means you don’t actually need a licence to undertake control of corellas in the Perth metropolitan area, subject to local government area [regulations],” WA Parks and Wildlife Officer Matt Swan said.

“But that’s prescribed, and it must be done by firearm.

Mr Swan said the department engaged the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) several years ago to involve local governments in corella population control.

“That’s done in a much more organised, controlled fashion where corellas are trapped en masse and euthanased humanely by professional contractors,” he said.

Community encouraged to report suspicious behaviour

Mr Swan said the department was interested if the community had any information about “mass mortality events”.

“We are probably less concerned about a dead corella here or there — it’s those mass mortality events that we’re very interested in.

“And we are trying to understand where these poisonings might be taking place because these birds are highly mobile, they can fly many kilometres.

“Just because they’ve been found at a particular oval, doesn’t mean that they’re being poisoned or impacted on at that particular site.”

The City of Cockburn and the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are also investigating the poisoning.

March 17 2022: Poisoned Corellas, Beeliar Oval, Perth WA. Pesticide: Fenthion