The decision reflected recent changes in how New Zealand growers are using glyphosate.
After carefully considering industry, stakeholder, and public feedback on a proposal to change maximum residue levels (MRLs) for glyphosate in wheat, barley and oats, New Zealand Food Safety has decided to set a limit of 0.1mg/kg (the same as the current default level) and to restrict the permitted use of glyphosate for these arable crops.
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said that although they were confident the proposed limits would not have presented any health risks to consumers, after considering more than 3,100 submissions and meeting with a broad range of submitters and stakeholders, they found compelling evidence that the way glyphosate is used in New Zealand has changed over the past 5 to 6 years.
“Growers and millers have increasingly entered into contractual arrangements that require no, or extremely low, glyphosate residues in grains used for food, effectively prohibiting pre-harvest use of glyphosate,” said Arbuckle.
For dry field peas, New Zealand Food Safety has decided to set the MRL at 6mg/kg as proposed.
This is in line with industry agricultural practice and aligns with the Australian, European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK) and Codex MRLs of 10mg/kg for dry peas, and the United States’ 8mg/kg limit.
“Dry field peas are a relatively small crop in New Zealand, and the majority of the product is exported to markets with similar MRLs.”
To ensure that industry practice is maintained and controlled, New Zealand Food Safety will require (through labelling changes) that when glyphosate is used on wheat, barley, and oats grown for human consumption, it can only be applied before crops emerge. It will no longer be allowed to be applied directly onto cereal crops grown for human consumption.
Agricultural chemicals, such as glyphosate, are critical to farmers and growers. Arbuckle said they help manage outbreaks of pests and diseases, reduce the risks to plant and animal health, and help keep food prices down, because crops and animals can produce more when there are fewer pests.
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