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NRS 2023-24 Industry brochure: Macadamia - English (PDF 773 KB)
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Key points
- In 2023–24, the overall compliance with Australian standards was 100%.
- The macadamia industry has an unbroken record of 100 percent compliance since program commencement in 1996.
- Australian macadamia producers continue to demonstrate a high degree of good agricultural practice.
- The National Residue Survey’s quality management system (QMS) is certified to ISO standard 9001:2015.
The National Residue Survey (NRS) operates within the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and since 1992 has been funded by industries through levies and direct contracts.
The NRS is an essential part of Australia’s pesticide and veterinary medicine residue management framework, providing verification of good agricultural practice in support of chemical control-of-use legislation and guidelines.
NRS programs monitor the levels of, and associated risks from, pesticides and veterinary medicine residues and contaminants in Australian food products. The programs help to facilitate and encourage ongoing access to domestic and export markets. The NRS supports Australia’s primary producers and food processors who provide quality animal, grain and horticulture products which meet both Australian and relevant international standards.
The macadamia residue monitoring program
The macadamia residue monitoring program is a cooperative arrangement between the National Residue Survey, the Australian Macadamia Society and macadamia processing plants. Since 1996, the program has been funded by the NRS component of the statutory levy on macadamia production.
The program involves the testing of Australian macadamia for a range of chemical residues and environmental contaminants, which ensures the macadamia industry can meet quality assurance and market access requirements for domestic and international markets.
Sample collection
Samples are collected at macadamia processing plants in accordance with NRS procedures. 100 to 150 samples of macadamia nuts are collected from 9 processing plants located in northern New South Wales and Queensland. Once collected, samples are freighted to the contract laboratory for analysis. All sample data collected is entered into the NRS Information Management System and residue testing result reports are automatically generated for the macadamia processing plants.
Analytical screens
Analytical screens are developed in consultation with the industry and take into account chemicals registered in Australia, chemical residue profiles and overseas market requirements.
Macadamia samples are screened for a range of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and environmental contaminants, as shown in Table 1.
| Analytical screen | Chemical group | Analytes |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-residue pesticide screen | Insecticides | Over 94 analytes including acephate, abamectin, bifenthrin, diazinon, malathion, pyrethrins and spinosad |
| Fungicides | Over 55 analytes including azoxystrobin, boscalid, captan, iprodione, fludioxonil and propiconazole | |
| Herbicides | Over 45 analytes including atrazine, bromacil, clopyralid, isoxaben, norflurazon and simazine | |
| Organochlorines | aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endosulfan, endrin, HCB, HCH, heptachlor, lindane and mirex | |
| Physiological Modifier | diphenylamine | |
| Specific herbicides | Herbicides | amitrole, chlormequat, dichlorprop, diclofop, diquat, flamprop, fluazifop, glufosinate, glyphosate, haloxyfop, paraquat and quizalofop |
| Metals | Elements | arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and mercury |
Results
In 2023–24, a total of 137 macadamia samples were collected for analysis. The results were compared with the Australian standards and where appropriate, relevant international standards.
A summary of Macadamia compliance rates against the Australian MRL standards over the past 10 years is provided in Table 2. The results highlight excellent compliance with Australian standards and demonstrate the strong commitment of the macadamia industry to good agricultural practices. The excellent compliance rates help maintain the reputation and integrity of Australian macadamia nuts in international and domestic markets.
The 2023-24 financial year datasets for the macadamia program are located on the department’s website
| Years | Samples collected | Compliance rates (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 – 15 | 112 | 100 |
| 2015 – 16 | 135 | 100 |
| 2016 – 17 | 129 | 100 |
| 2017 – 18 | 123 | 100 |
| 2018 – 19 | 128 | 100 |
| 2019 – 20 | 110 | 100 |
| 2020 – 21 | 128 | 100 |
| 2021 – 22 | 126 | 100 |
| 2022 – 23 | 112 | 100 |
| 2023 – 24 | 137 | 100 |
Laboratory selection and performance
The NRS contracts laboratories to analyse animal and plant product samples for pesticide/veterinary medicine residues and environmental contaminants.
Laboratories are selected through the Australian Government procurement process based on their proficiency and value for money. Laboratories must be accredited to international standard ISO/IEC 17025 at commencement of testing.
Contracted laboratories are proficiency tested by the NRS to ensure the validity of their analytical results and technical competence.
The NRS has been accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities as a proficiency test provider since July 2005.
International export markets
The NRS maintains information on maximum residue limits (MRLs) that apply to Australia and major export markets for industries supported by the NRS. All analysis results are checked for compliance with Australian standards and relevant international MRLs.
For the Australian MRL standard see legislation.gov.au/F2023L01350/latest/versions.
For MRL standards for some international export markets see links at agriculture.gov.au/nrs-databases