“Climate change is escalating the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and the insects, weeds and diseases that come with it,” CropLife Australia CEO Matthew Cossey said.
“Pest resistance management strategies are no longer just ‘best management’ practices, they are critical to the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Australia’s farming sector.
“If farmers, resellers and agronomists wish to maintain the longevity of agricultural chemical products for crop and food production, it is everyone’s responsibility to remain proactive.”
Mr Cossey said the challenges that climate change brings to integrated pest management is just one example of how farming is becoming increasingly global.
“Changing temperatures and weather patterns continue to exacerbate the geographic range, type and prevalence of crop pests. If left unchecked, resistance to agricultural chemicals can arise in as little as three to four years, eroding the profitability and productivity of farming businesses.
"CropLife Australia’s newly updated ‘Resistance Management Strategies’ for fungicides, herbicides and insecticides help farmers ensure that these vital products remain a viable tool. This is particularly critical as the discovery of new modes of action (MoA) has slowed considerably in the last 30 years.
”Mr Cossey said to bring just one successful crop protection product to the market requires the assessment of more than 140,000 compounds and more than $400 million over 11 years to develop an economically viable, environmentally sustainable and effective product.
“It’s crucial that product users adopt an integrated pest management system, strictly adhere to label instructions and follow up-to-date best-practice resistance management strategies.
“It is also essential that those who sell these products, and agronomists who advise on their use, proactively advocate the specific, relevant and important information regarding these resistance management strategies.”
Each year these resistance management strategies are updated, and new ones developed by CropLife’s expert scientific technical review committees in consultation with relevant national and international experts.
This year’s update most notably includes the globally consistent herbicide MoA classifications adopted last year. The numerical classification system will be fully implemented by the end of 2024.
The recently updated strategies can be accessed and downloaded from CropLife’s website. Resellers and farmers can quickly search and locate the relevant best-practice strategies that provide crucial and timely advice on managing pest resistance.
These resistance management strategies are part of CropLife Australia’s Stewardship First program, which is a suite of freely available world leading stewardship initiatives that aim to assist all product users in maintaining world’s best-practice use.
Mr Cossey said these stewardship initiatives are a significant contribution to ensuring the ongoing sustainability of crucial crop protection products and Australia’s farming sector.The 2022 Resistance Management Strategies are available at the CropLife Australia website: https://www.croplife.org.au/
