This consultation closed on 29 August 2023
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) invites written submissions on the proposed suspension of specific products containing dimethoate and associated label approvals due to unacceptable levels of dimethoate residues following use as a post-harvest dip.
The APVMA will consider submissions that include scientific data which addresses whether the use of dimethoate as a post-harvest dip for tropical and subtropical fruit with inedible peel can meet the statutory safety and labelling criteria. The APVMA remains satisfied that the other approved uses of dimethoate are safe.
More information about the proposed suspension is available on our website.
All submissions related to these matters will be considered by the APVMA prior to regulatory action.
When making your submission:
- clearly identify the issue and state your point of view
- give reasons for your comments, supporting them, if possible, with relevant scientific information and indicating the source of the information you have used.
Electronic submissions to the APVMA are preferred. When making a submission please include:
- contact name
- company or group name (if relevant)
- postal address
- email address
- the date you made the submission.
Please note: Submissions will be published on the APVMA website unless you have asked for the submission to remain confidential (see public submission coversheet).
Please lodge your submission with a public submission coversheet, which provides options for how your submission will be published.
Note that all APVMA documents are subject to the access provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and may be required to be released under that Act should a request for access be made.
Note that all submissions received are subject to legislative requirements, including the Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Privacy Act 1988 and the Agvet Code.
The closing date for submissions is 29 August 2023.
Submissions or requests for further information can be sent to:
Email: chemicalreview@apvma.gov.au
Phone: +61 2 6770 2400
Post:
Chemical Review
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
GPO Box 3262
Sydney NSW 2001
Submissions received
The APVMA sought comments from interested stakeholders in relation to the proposed suspension of dimethoate for use as a post-harvest dip in a consultation that closed on 29 August 2023.
Eight submissions were received from stakeholders during the consultation period.
A copy of the submissions (where consent to publish was provided) and a summary of the APVMA’s assessment of each submission is available below.
Consultation feedback
The APVMA received 8 submissions during the public consultation on the proposed suspension of certain products containing dimethoate. One submission was made by a member of the public, 3 submissions were made by commercial or retail organisations, 2 were made by fruit growing organisations, one was made by a government authority, and one was made by an industry representative association.
Six submitters gave the APVMA permission to publish the content of their submissions, which are available on the APVMA website.
None of the information submitted during consultation changed the APVMA’s assessment that use of dimethoate as a post-harvest treatment for tropical and subtropical fruit with inedible peel may not meet the safety criteria and the labels may not meet the labelling criteria set out in the Agvet Code.
Submissions related to commercial or financial impacts are noted, particularly in relation to movement of mangoes from the Northern Territory to Western Australia; however, these are not able to be considered in deciding whether a product meets the safety criteria in the Agvet Code. Once the APVMA becomes aware of an unacceptable risk to human health due to use of a registered product according to the approved instructions for use, it must act as soon as possible to remove the cause of the risk.
We have completed our review of the submissions and published our decision to suspend the registration of certain products containing dimethoate used for post-harvest treatment of tropical and subtropical fruit and to suspend the approval of the labels of those products.