Grain standard changes mooted

Grain Trade Australia will release revised grain trading standards for 2013-14 next week.

GTA chief executive Geoff Honey said there were more than 48 issues of potential changes raised by industry in the review process.

Some of the major decisions included an increase in test weight for milling grades of wheat and the development of nat- ional visual recognition standards guides for Angustifolius lupins and red lentils.

The potential changes would also include upgrades to the existing guidelines for barley, wheat, sorghum, oats, canola, desi chickpeas and maize, and rejection of a call to ban the use of grain driers on malt-grade barley.

"The continued development and review of the visual recognition standards guides will enhance the consistency of the grading process across the Australian grains industry," Mr Honey said.

"The identification of the major grain defects by agreed photographic standards will aid classifiers employed at receival sites across the nation."

Details and an industry briefing paper about the change to min- imum test weight are available at www.graintrade.org.au .