Responsible chemical use

Responsible chemical use

Australia's ability to deliver produce free of unacceptable chemical residues underpins its excellent food safety reputation.  

SAFEMEAT's goal in responsible chemical use is to assist in the development and implementation of sound management systems that deliver safe and hygienic meat products, which comply with government standards and regulations relating to residues.  

To ensure that Australian red meat products are safe for human consumption, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has established and maintains: 

  • Withholding periods 
  • Export slaughter intervals  
  • Export grazing intervals  

The Australian government monitors responsible chemical use through the National Residue Survey (NRS). 

SAFEMEAT provides a series of risk assessment documents to help livestock producers be aware of chemical residues when purchasing supplementary feeds and by-product feeds for livestock.

Risk assessment documents for various alternate fodders:

 

FAQs

Australia’s red meat markets demand that Australian produce be free of unacceptable chemical residues. Australia’s ability to meet these demanding standards underpins its excellent agricultural and food safety reputation. 

Australian producers are required to follow label instructions which contain information relating to Withholding Periods (WHP), Export Slaughter Intervals (ESI) and Export Grazing Intervals (EGI) and keep good records which enable them to give evidence of management practices that minimise and eliminate the risk of livestock residue contamination. 

The Australian government monitors responsible chemical use and other environmental contaminants through the National Residue Survey (NRS)The NRS supports Australia’s primary producers and agricultural industries by confirming Australia’s status as a producer of clean food and facilitating access to domestic and export markets. 

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) maintains Australia’s Withholding Period (WHP), Export Slaughter Interval (ESI) and Export Grazing Interval (EGI) requirements. The APVMA also has responsibilities to monitor compliance and when necessary undertake enforcement activities. 

Resources

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