1. Home »
  2. Primary Industries » Grains »
  3. Keep our grain clean campaign

Clean grain

South Australian grain industry leaders have united to form a new working group to launch the Keep Our Grain Clean campaign, highlighting the importance of grain hygiene for continued access to international and domestic markets.

The new SA Grain Market Access Group is headed by the Grain Industry Association of South Australia (GIASA), which represents all grain marketing organisations in the state and is supported by:

  • Primary Industries and Regions SA
  • Viterra, the state’s largest bulk handler
  • Grain Producers SA and Grain Growers Ltd
  • South Australian Grain Industry Trust
  • Grains Research and Development Corporation
  • Fodder industry and independent agronomy consultants.

The campaign encourages all participants in the grain industry to continue to keep grain clean, ensuring it meets market requirements and is within physical, chemical and biological tolerance limits.

Reputation

South Australia has an excellent reputation for providing clean, premium agricultural products and working closely with trading partners to ensure their needs are met. By continuing to uphold high grain hygiene standards, South Australian grain growers will continue to have access to a large range of markets across the world for their grain.

The campaign reminds all industry participants that grain is a food which will be used for animal and human consumption and the entire grain supply chain including growers, grain handlers and traders have a role to play in protecting markets.

Education

Growers are asked to ensure they are following approved practices to minimise the presence of contaminants by cleaning their equipment, applying chemicals as per approved label rates and maintaining effective treatment programs for insects, pests and weed seeds.

Growers are also encouraged to speak with their advisers or consultants regarding maximum residue limits and spray timings.

The campaign will run throughout harvest with a series of grower education and communication tools, including posters to be displayed at Viterra storage and handling sites.

Safe grain handling

All domestic and export markets for Australian grain have a low to nil tolerance level for chemical residues and contaminants. There is a zero tolerance for the following:

  • fertiliser
  • pickled/treated grain/artificial colouring
  • live stored grain insects
  • any unapproved chemical
  • rodent/snail bait
  • glass and brittle plastic
  • live or dead rodents
  • toxic and corrosive materials.

When spraying crops, growers should also adhere to withholding periods, label instructions, application rates and safe operating procedures of the chemical being used. It is critical to only use registered/permitted chemicals on crops and any chemicals applied must be appropriately declared when delivering grain.

Before harvest, growers must clean all equipment and ensure it is ready for use, including headers, augers, chaser bins, on-farm storage, field bins, trailers, delivery trucks and grain handling equipment.

More information

GRDC provides information on:

Glyphosate use on barley

General information

Storage and handling requirements

Contact

Lachlan Allen
Chairman, Grains Industry Association of SA
Phone: (08) 8361 5601
Email: lallen@graincorp.com.au

Dave Lewis
Grains Account Manager, PIRSA
Phone: (08) 8429 0472
Email: dave.lewis@sa.gov.au

Page Last Reviewed: 24 Jan 2017
Top of page