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CTS herbicide recall ‘100 per cent complete’

Headshot of Adam Poulsen
Adam PoulsenCountryman
A helicopter sprays for weeds in York.
Camera IconA helicopter sprays for weeds in York. Credit: Nic Ellis

A WA farm chemical manufacturer says a voluntary recall of two of its herbicides for controlling weeds in crops is 100 per cent complete.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority confirmed CTS Chemicals Pty Ltd began a recall of the two products — TRIO Bromoxynil 250 Diflufenican 25 herbicide and TRIO Bromoxynil 200 EC herbicide— in June “due to out-of-specification results”.

Both herbicides are manufactured by various companies, with the former used for the control of broadleaf weeds in winter cereals and pastures, and the latter for the selective control of certain weeds in agricultural crops.

CTS is a subsidiary of Farmers Business Network Australia.

FBNA Australia country manager Dirk Butter told the Countryman the results followed routine testing and the recall was “entirely voluntary”.

Mr Butter did not say what the results were, or to what extent they were out-of-specification, but said the recall was now 100 per cent complete.

“At CTS, rigorous testing of all products is a critical part of the quality control process, which aims to rapidly identify even slight variations in product concentration and other factors specified in product descriptions,” he said.

“All agricultural input manufacturers occasionally find test results outside specifications, and CTS is committed to both robust testing and full transparency in communicating test results to regulatory authorities and affected customers when appropriate.

“We take this process very seriously, and this recall was entirely voluntary.”

FBNA Australia country manager Dirk Butter.
Camera IconFBNA Australia country manager Dirk Butter. Credit: Danella Bevis/The West Australian

Mr Butter said FBNA acted quickly to contact customers about the recall and resolve the issue, adding the company strove to work closely with farmers to provide transparent information.

“I think it’s worth noting that FBN’s unique model of selling directly to farmers provides a unique stewardship advantage in such recall events, enabling us to identify all affected customers within minutes and contact them individually by phone to provide information and request that they quarantine the product,” he said.

“The measure used by APVMA to determine the success of a recall is the capacity of the registrant to reach out to the affected customers and collect the recalled product back. Based on these criteria, we were extremely successful.”

CTS did not answer questions regarding whether the products would return to the market, or how many litres were sold in WA.

An APVMA spokeswoman said further questions about the recalled products should be directed to the manufacturer via au.support@farmersbusiness network.com or 1800 749 140.

Adverse experiences from farm chemicals can be reported by calling 1800 700 583 and the reporting form from the APVMA can be downloaded online.

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