A recent compliance blitz focusing on intensive horticulture operations in the Coffs Harbour and Nambucca regions has found no evidence of banned or off-label pesticide use.
The unannounced blitz, conducted by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in early November, saw officers visit 19 blueberry, raspberry and blackberry farms to check on compliance with a range of pesticide regulations.
Officers checked for appropriate storage, record-keeping, training, and application practices and took berry samples from five farms for independent testing.
NSW EPA Director of Operations John Forcier said that results from the berry samples showed pesticide application compliance was good, but that operators could make improvements in some of the other areas inspected.
“Blueberry and blackberry samples were analysed for a suite of more than 200 pesticides, including the banned chemical thiometon, and pleasingly we found no evidence of banned chemical use or off-label pesticide use,” Mr Forcier said.
“Overall, we found on-farm compliance has improved on previous years, but there is still some room for improvement.
“As a result of this latest compliance blitz, we have commenced additional investigations into some operations, which will be finalised in 2026.
“Compliance isn’t just about what’s being sprayed on the crop, it’s also about safe storage of pesticides, accurate record keeping, and proper training and we are working with pesticide users on that.”
The EPA regulates the use of pesticides in NSW for environmental protection. It does not monitor or regulate food safety.
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