This program was carried out ten years ago, in 2013, and was canceled by the Minister of Agriculture at that time, Barnaby Joyce. The results of this program were never published, but recently the official research findings obtained at that time were made public. The program was carried out to determine the number of pesticides used on farm food.
In 2013, a pilot project was launched to monitor the pesticide quantity used on crops. The program was never completed because it was canceled, but the data collected so far showed quite alarming figures. In the case of strawberries, these contained residues that exceeded 90 times the maximum permitted levels.
What data were obtained from the pesticide monitoring program?
This research found severe information about the number of pesticides on food crops. The apricot or peach data reveal that the number of pesticides on them was at levels that were rated as totally unacceptable from a short-term severe dietary risk perspective. That implies a health hazard for all those consuming the affected fruits.
All these data have been collected thanks to a freedom of information request. At the time, the government behind this program was Labour, and the person who decided to cancel it was Barnaby Joyce, the Minister of Agriculture. The cancellation meant withdrawing $25 million, an amount of money earmarked for research.
Only now, the research results had been made public during the short time the investigation was underway. At the time, the government issued a statement about the scrapping of the monitoring program, announcing that it was being carried out because of budgetary pressures. In Australia, there is currently no regular monitoring of the agricultural chemicals used in much of the food sold and distributed within the country.
For all products exported from the country, including various meats and fruits such as apples and nuts, monitoring is carried out through the national residue survey. At the national level, only one single pesticide residue monitoring is available, and it is known as FreshTest, organized and controlled by the Fresh Markets industry in Australia.
During the summer of 2011, the pesticide dimethoate was withdrawn for many foods, such as strawberries. Following the pesticide monitoring program two years later, it was discovered that several growers were still using this pesticide. Currently, dimethoate is only used on minimal crops and in a controlled manner.