Australian canola growers and farm advisors are notified that the European Union (EU) has announced it intends to reduce the maximum residue limit (MRL) for haloxyfop.
To meet this changing MRL, this means 2023/24 canola treated with haloxyfop should not be delivered or received into the Australian grain handling system for canola segregations (grades) destined for export.
The National Working Party on Grain Protection (NWPGP) has advised consideration will need to be made for any canola treated with haloxyfop from the 2022/23 or prior season that is already held on farm in storage.
Growers will need to speak with their respective grain traders for specific advice. The post-harvest supply chain will also need to review any stocks already held in their storages.
The NWPGP states this change is necessary as, if delivered, it will jeopardise market access to the EU for Australian canola. This applies to canola received in the 2023/24 season.
Whilst haloxyfop remains a legally registered product in Australia, any future use on canola, given the impending change in the EU MRL, will result in a residue detection above the new EU MRL.
To maintain access into the EU market, Australian canola growers are advised of the need to use alternative weed control options for the 2023 season canola crop, and in future cropping programs.
This decision is only for the use of haloxyfop on canola and applies to both GM and non-GM canola for export.
A number of haloxyfop products are registered in Australia for the post-emergent weed control in canola.
Growers should review the options and always comply with the legal label directions for any products used, paying particular attention to the maximum crop growth stage permitted at the time of application.
The new MRL in canola is expected to be implemented sometime in the third or fourth quarter of 2023, but the exact date is not yet known. Advice about these impending changes is being provided through grain producer groups to be proactive to ensure the 2023/24 canola crop is not treated with haloxyfop.
This will also provide adequate time for growers and advisers to consider and develop alternative weed control options for this year’s canola crop.
According to Grain Producers Australia, the EU has also announced it will lower the MRL for haloxyfop on pulses. As the EU is a relatively small market for pulses (unlike canola), the industry is confident that management systems will be successfully enacted to manage exports of any pulses to meet the new EU MRLs for pulses when implemented.
Information on the MRL’s has been generated and supported by the Australian Oilseeds Federation, Grains Australia, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Grain Trade Australia, the National Working Party on Grain Protection, Grain Producers Australia and GrainGrowers Limited.
