Agrochemical Updates


The Australian Wine & Brandy Corporations Agricultural Chemical Residue Survey

Each year since 1992 the AWBC has commissioned a survey of Australian wines for the presence of agricultural chemical residues. Samples are drawn from the wide range of wines submitted to the AWBC for routine export inspection. Sampling is not entirely random in that there is an emphasis on selecting wines produced from grape varieties and wine regions that are particularly prone to disease and therefore more likely to produce a positive result for chemical residues.

The 2000/2001 survey tested 230 wines for a range of 28 commonly used herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. No wine was found to contain a residue approaching the relevant MRL (maximum residue limit) for Australia. The testing will continue throughout 2001/2002 on an even larger number of samples.


This information is provided to inform the wine industry of agrochemical product information, and should not be interpreted as an endorsement.