Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

To be clear, to date there has been no change in policy, and the use of carbendazim is still allowed at the level of 10 parts per million. The Australian juice manufacturing industry is heavily dependent on imported product. Unlike the United States, which is a net exporter of citrus juice, the Australian domestic market is only able to supply about 45 per cent of the needs of the orange juice industry.

I again note for the Senate that FSANZ, the regulator in this area, has not raised any concerns about the presence of carbendazim in the fruit juice Australians are consuming. The APVMA, which deals with agvet chemicals, has an ongoing review in progress. It is consulting with FSANZ on this matter, but FSANZ is not aware of any test results in which carbendazim levels in orange juice have been above this safe level. (Time expired)