Grain growers have been spared a major headache in the middle of harvest, with new phosphine workplace exposure limits pushed back to Saturday, 1 July 2028.
The NSW Government agreed to the delay after months of advocacy by NSW Farmers and grains industry bodies across Australia.
The revised limits were due to start on Tuesday, 1 December 2026, raising serious concerns about how they would work in practice during the peak harvest period.
“Introducing these changes on 1 December would have created enormous uncertainty in the middle of harvest, when millions of tonnes of grain are expected to move off farms and towards ports across NSW,” said NSW Farmers President Rebecca Reardon.
“For growers who have already endured a tough year, the consequences could have been significant.”
“This has been a genuine whole-of-industry effort, with stakeholders across the country, including GrainGrowers, GrainCorp and Grain Trade Australia, working collaboratively with NSW Farmers to secure this result,” Ms Reardon said.
“While industry has consistently called for a three-year extension, this delay provides much-needed certainty during harvest and an opportunity to work with government, regulators, industry and the Grains Research and Development Corporation on a practical pathway forward,” Ms Reardon said.
“Worker safety is paramount, and growers take it extremely seriously.”
“This additional time must be used to build a robust Australian evidence base and develop clear, practical guidance to support the revised exposure limits.”
Phosphine is used to protect stored grain from insect pests.
“Phosphine plays a critical role in keeping stored grain free from insect pests, maintaining grain quality and protecting Australia’s biosecurity and export market access,” said NSW Farmers Grains Committee Chair Adrian Roles.
“Many international markets require grain to meet strict phytosanitary standards, and phosphine treatment is an important way of achieving those requirements.”
“The reality is there is currently no practical alternative capable of doing this job at the scale required on farms and across the Australian grains industry.”
Mr Roles said the industry was already working with the Grains Research and Development Corporation on research into phosphine exposure, how it behaves in stored grain, exposure monitoring and the practices needed to meet the new limits.
“This delay gives us the opportunity to ensure the revised requirements are supported by sound Australian research, reliable exposure measurement methods and practical controls that can be implemented safely throughout the grain supply chain,” he said.
“The priority now must be turning that research into practical solutions that protect workers while ensuring growers can continue to safely store, protect and market Australian grain.”
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