Safeguarding Exports of Australian Fodder from Future Methyl Bromide Withdrawals

Summary

Australian fodder exports worth $300 M annually currently rely on the fumigant methyl bromide (MB) to meet the phytosanitary requirements of key markets such as Japan and China. Export approval depends on nil detection of live pests, and MB is highly effective in disinfesting fodder before shipment. However, MB is 60 times more powerful at destroying stratospheric ozone than chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). For this reason, MB was banned internationally for non-quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS) uses under the United Nation’s Montreal Protocol (an international Protocol singed by 197 countries including Australia that controls substances that deplete the ozone layer). This process is now complete, and there is increasing international pressure to also phase-out QPS uses under the Protocol (e.g., use in export fodder). For example, the European Union have already banned the use of MB for all QPS treatments, and other countries like New Zealand mandate the recapture and destruction of the compound. Recently under Decision XXXIV/10, the Montreal Protocol conducted a technical review to evaluate the proportion of QPS uses of MB that could be immediately replaced with alternatives. Without suitable alternatives, an international ban on MB would threaten Australia’s fodder export markets.

Current MB alternatives (phosphine, sulfuryl fluoride, ethyl formate, ethanedinitrile, low oxygen, irradiation, MB recapture) have limitations for use in fodder (e.g., increased treatment times, cost, flammability, pest resistance, greenhouse gases, and WHS). Recent DAFF-funded research has identified a new ozone-friendly alternative called methyl iodide that shows great promise for use in fodder because it has the same mode of action, treatment timing, WHS requirements, and application method as MB. Industry urgently needs strategic directions to manage the risk of MB withdrawal and maintain and expand export markets.

This project will:

(1) evaluate the current international regulatory environment and risk of MB phase-out,

(2) consult exporters and fumigators to benchmark current MB use in export fodder and identify potential barriers to adoption of current alternative treatments,

(3) conduct commercial research on leading MB alternative treatments (e.g., methyl iodide, ethyl formate, ethanedinitrile) to support registration, approval, and use in fodder,

(4) analyse safety requirements of all potential alternative treatments and new regulations for MB and.

(5) review the literature on MB and MB alternatives.

The project will increase industry’s

(1) awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of individual alternatives,

(2) resilience to future MB withdrawal, and

(3) international reputation for sustainable production with trading partners.  

This project directly addresses priority 2.1 of the Strategic Plan to ‘Improve the information available to exporters and producers to understand and influence the minimum requirements of major export markets, such as chemical use and biosecurity’.

Program

Export Fodder

Research Organisation

VSICA Research