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: