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Dimethoate products suspended as of 6 October 2011

National

Posted: 06.10.2011


Dimethoate products suspended as of 6 October 2011

We are writing to advise that the APVMA has today issued a notice of suspension to registrants of all products containing dimethoate on the basis of short term dietary risks. This is an interim regulatory action while we complete further assessments on the chemical. 


This suspension takes effect as of today and means that, during the suspension period:
  • use of dimethoate on certain horticultural crops, including fruit fly treatments of many fruits and vegetables is prohibited. Use on all food producing plants in the home garden is also prohibited. This applies to dimethoate products and permits. A list of suspended crop uses is available on the APVMA website.
  • possession and use on some crops can continue provided the products are supplied with the new instructions for use.
  • people cannot supply or deal with any of these products unless they apply the new instructions for use. The new instructions for use are available on the APVMA website and will also be provided by product registrants and resellers.
  • it is an offence to advertise or promote the use of these suspended products, although the publication of information related to the suspension itself is not an offence.

The suspension period is 12 months, ending on 5 October 2012.

Enacting the suspension
 
Product registrants are requested to inform all parts of the supply chain that new instructions have been issued by the APVMA. All product containers in the supply chain and the marketplace must contain the new instructions prior to sale. 

The APVMA will consider product recall action if it becomes aware that these new instructions issued by the APVMA are not being adhered to.

Treatment of produce

Produce treated with dimethoate prior to 6 October 2011 can still be offered for sale after the date of suspension. The effect of the suspension is to stop use of dimethoate products after the specified date.Maximum residue limits (MRLs) will remain in place for some months to allow treated produce to be sold.

How the suspension came about

This suspension follows the release of the 2011 Dimethoate Residues and Dietary Risk Assessment Report on 22 August 2011, which found that its use on many crops could exceed the recommended public health standard (the Acute Reference Dose).

The risk assessment is a necessary component of the review and its purpose is to set Maximum Residue Limits for approved use patterns in food crops. Part of that risk assessment includes a dietary exposure assessment which looks at the potential for a consumer to be exposed to pesticide residues if they were to eat large amounts of food treated with that chemical. It includes a large margin of safety to protect all consumers. 

The dimethoate assessment showed that potential exposure from residues on some crops could exceed internationally supported safety margins put in place to protect human health. This has prompted the APVMA to take the regulatory action proposed to protect Australian consumers.


Alternative products

The APVMA has issued several permits as an alternative to dimethoate in certain crops. Details of these and other applications currently under assessment can be found on the dimethoate review webpage.

Although fenthion is also registered for fruit fly control, growers should not consider it a permanent replacement for dimethoate. The review of fenthion is ongoing and due for completion in 2012.

More information

Information on alternatives to dimethoate, quarantine arrangements and frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the suspension are available on the dimethoate review webpage.

We invite you to reproduce text from our Regulatory News article or FAQs in your newsletters and journals as long as you mention that it is reproduced with permission of the APVMA.

If you have any questions about the suspension action, please contact the Chemical Review Contact Officer via (02) 6210 4749 or chemicalreview@apvma.gov.au. 

If such notifications should be sent to a different contact within your organisation, please advise APVMA Public Affairs via contact@apvma.gov.au.

Regards

Chemical Review Team

Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)
PO Box 6182 Kingston ACT 2604
www.apvma.gov.au | chemicalreview@apvma.gov.au
P: +61 2 6210 4749| F: +61 2 6210 4776


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