{"id":1317,"date":"2015-03-30T05:18:50","date_gmt":"2015-03-30T05:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrifood.swim.net.au\/news\/pesticide-banned-worldwide-still-used-on-strawberries\/"},"modified":"2015-03-30T05:18:50","modified_gmt":"2015-03-30T05:18:50","slug":"pesticide-banned-worldwide-still-used-on-strawberries","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/agrifood.swim.net.au\/zh\/news\/pesticide-banned-worldwide-still-used-on-strawberries\/","title":{"rendered":"Methyl Bromide &#8211; Pesticide still in use on strawberries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pesticide banned worldwide still used to grow 70% of Australian strawberries.<\/p>\n<p>About 70 per cent of Australian strawberries are being grown on runners that have been fumigated with an environmentally damaging pesticide that has been banned around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Methyl bromide is an odourless and colourless gas which was banned under the United Nations Montreal Protocol in 1989 because it depletes the ozone layer.<\/p>\n<p>Australia agreed to phase it out by 2005 but a decade later, strawberry runner growers in Victoria&#8217;s Yarra Valley, are still using nearly 30 tonnes a year. They produce 100 million strawberry runners annually, which in turn generate about 70 per cent of Australian strawberries. Each year they apply to the UN for a critical use exemption from the ban, claiming the alternatives are financially crippling.<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"\/app\/images\/strawberries1a.jpg\" width=\"437\" height=\"217\" \/><\/td>\n<td>\n<p>The strawberry growers said if they were forced to stop using methyl bromide, the viability of the $400 million strawberry industry would be &#8220;compromised&#8221; and 15,000 jobs jeopardised.&nbsp;The industry estimated their costs could soar by 500 per cent if they were to switch to soilless growing systems, similar to those used in parts of Europe.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The runner industry has invested more than $700,000 on research and development to find alternatives to methyl bromide.<\/p>\n<p>Link to full article:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2015-03-29\/toxic-pesticide-used-on-australian-strawberries\/6354488\">http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2015-03-29\/toxic-pesticide-used-on-australian-strawberries\/6354488<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>Contact Us:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Please contact us to discuss your&nbsp;Pesticide and\/or Methyl Bromide testing requirements on:<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>1800 801 312 or <a href=\"mailto:lab.vic@agrifood.com.au\">lab.vic@agrifood.com.au<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pesticide banned worldwide still used to grow 70% of Australian strawberries. About 70 per cent of Australian strawberries are being grown on runners that have been fu\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-1317","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrifood.swim.net.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrifood.swim.net.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrifood.swim.net.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrifood.swim.net.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}