Minor use permits

Minor use permits for the raspberry and blackberry industry

Publication date: 30 August 2021

The Hort Innovation Raspberry and Blackberry Fund supports the submission of applications for new and renewed minor use permits for the industry, as well as data generation activities to support chemical permits and registrations, and strategic agrichemical reviews. Together these efforts provide industry access to safe, relevant and effective chemicals for the management of pests, weeds and diseases.

Current minor use permits

Permit ID	Description	State	Date Issued	Expiry Date	Permit holder
PER12486 Version 6	Trichlorfon / Strawberries, blueberries and rubus spp. / Fruit fly	ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, WA	06-Oct-11	31-Mar-26	Hort Innovation
PER82024 Version 2	Metham / Blueberry and rubus / Weed seeds and soil borne pathogens	All	1-Feb-16	31-Mar-26	Hort Innovation
PER87408	Success Neo (spinetoram) / Strawberries, rubus and rubus hybrids and blueberries / Fruit fly (Suppression only)	All (Exc Vic)	15-Apr-19	30-Apr-24	Hort Innovation
PER13150 Version 2	NoGall (Agrobacterium radiobacter) / Rubus root systems / Crown gall	NSW & TAS	23-Mar-12	31-Oct-22	Raspberries & Blackberries Australia (RABA)
PER13289 Version 4	Indoxacarb (Avatar) / Blueberries and rubus spp. / Light brown apple moth and elephant weevil borer (field and protected grown)	All	31-Oct-12	31-Aug-23	RABA C/Hort Innovation
PER13957 Version 2	Petroleum oil (incl. paraffinic and mineral oil) / Rubus and ribes / Two-spotted mite and scale insects	All (Exc Vic)	01-Apr-13	31-Mar-23	RABA C/Hort Innovation
PER13958 Version 5	Pyrimethanil, Captan, Metalaxyl, Metalaxyl-M, Mancozeb, Triadimenol, Phosphorous acid / Rubus, ribes and blueberries / Various fungal blights	All (Exc Vic)	01-Apr-13	31-Aug-25	Hort Innovation
PER14449 Version 2	Chlorothalonil / Rubus / Grey mould, rust, downy mildew, Septoria leaf spot	All (Exc Vic)	1-Oct-14	31-May-22	RABA
PER14234 Version 2	Eco-oil botanical oil concentrate (Emulsifiable botanical oil) / Blueberries, rubus spp., Ribes spp / Two-spotted mite	All (Exc Vic)	10-Sep-13	31-Aug-23	RABA C/Hort Innovation
PER82986 Version 2	Boscalid and Pyraclostrobin (Pristine Fungicide) / Rubus and rubus hybrids, blueberries (field and protected) / Various fungal diseases	All States	25-Aug-17	31-Aug-24	Hort Innovation
PER84973 Version 2	Metalaxyl-M and Mancozeb (Ridimol Gold MZ) / Rubus and rubus hybrids / Downy mildew	All (Exc Vic)	16-Feb-18	31-Mar-23	RABA C/Hort Innovation
PER14425 Version 2	Bifenazate (Acramite) / Specified rubus and rubus hybrids / Two-spotted mite and European red spider mite	All (Exc Vic)	28-Feb-14	30-Sep-23	RABA
PER14422 Version 2	Cyprodinil and fludioxonil (switch) / Dewberries (including boysenberries and loganberry), blackberries, raspberries, cloudberries, and youngberries / Grey mould	All (Exc Vic)	28-Feb-14	31-Dec-23	RABA C/Hort Innovation
PER14443 Version 2	Copper - Cupric Hydroxide / Rubus spp. including raspberries and blackberries/ Rust and leaf spot	All (Exc Vic)	28-Feb-14	31-Jan-24	Hort Innovation
PER84972	Bifenthrin / Rubus spp., Ribes spp. (not including currants), and blueberries / Monolepta beetle, plague thrips and elephant weevil	All (Exc Vic)	12-Feb-18	28-Feb-23	RABA
PER13859	Dimethoate / Orchard cleanup - fruit fly host crops following harvest / Fruit fly	All (Exc Vic)	9-Feb-15	31-Jul-24	Growcom
PER87439	Pirimicarb / Blackberries / Green peach aphid Use now covered on the Imtrade Pirimicarb 500WG Aphicide Label (60138/127664) & Pirimor WG Aphicide Label (49835/128530) All States Permit will be surrendered	TAS only	4-Dec-18	31-Dec-21	Hort Innovation
PER87464 Version 2	Colecalciferol (Selontra soft bait rodenticide) / Rubus, rubus hybrid and blueberry / Rats and mice (ALL States)	All States	17-Dec-18	30-Nov-22	Hort Innovation
PER87245	Sulphur (Sulfur 800 WG fungicide and miticide) / Blackberries / Broad mite, two-spotted mite, bean spider mite and red berry mite	All States	25-Mar-19	31-Mar-24	Hort Innovation
PER88058	Serenade opti biofungicide (Bacillus amyloquefaciens) / Blackberries and raspberries / Botrytis grey mould	All States	15-Oct-19	31-Oct-22	Hort Innovation
*PER86213	Ethephon / Blueberry, rubus and ribe spp. / Promoting uniform maturity	NSW only	5-Dec-18	31-Dec-21	Australian Blueberry Growers' Association (ABGA) C/Wollongbar
PER89241	Spinetoram / Berry fruit / Fall armyworm	All (Exc Vic)	6-Mar-20	31-Mar-23	Hort Innovation
PER89278	Indoxacarb / Rubus species / Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)	All (Exc Vic)	13-Mar-20	31-Mar-23	Hort Innovation
PER89406	Etoxazole / Blackberries and raspberries / Two-spotted mite and bean spider mite	All (Exc Vic)	30-Apr-20	30-Apr-23	Hort Innovation
PER89353 Version 2	Chlorantraniliprole (Altacor Hort Insecticide / Coragen) / Fruit: Strawberries and rubus spp. (field and protected) / Fall armyworm	All (Exc Vic)	5-May-20	31-May-23	Hort Innovation
PER89407	Fenbutatin Oxide / Blackberries and raspberries / Two-spotted mite, European red mite, broad mite, red berry mite and bean spider mite	All (Exc Vic)	14-May-20	31-May-23	Hort Innovation
PER89870	Spinosad (Entrust Organic) / Various including berry fruit / Fall armyworm	All (Excl’ Vic)	21-Jul-20	31-Jul-23	Hort Innovation
PER80070 Version 2	Pyrethrin (Pyganic organic insecticide) / Rubus ribes and blueberry / Monolepta beetle, green vegetable bug and green stink bug	All States	18-Aug-15	31-Oct-25	ABGA C/Wollongbar
PER90178	Afidopyropen (Versys) / Blackberries and raspberries (Cane Berries) / Aphids including green peach aphid and greenhouse whitefly suppression	All States and Territories	20-Apr-21	30-Apr-24	Hort Innovation
PER90208	Sulfoxaflor (Transform Insecticide) / Blackberries and raspberries / Green peach aphid, cottonseed bug, green mirids, brown mirids, greenhouse whitefly, apple dimpling bug, and suppression of scale and rutherglen bug	All States and Territories, except VIC	5-May-21	31-May-24	Hort Innovation
PER89214	Flonicamid (MainMan 500WG) / Raspberries and blackberries / Mirids, jassids/leafhoppers, aphids, greenhouse whitefly and suppression of green vegetable bug and rutherglen bug	All States and Territories	3-Jun-21	30-Jun-23	Hort Innovation

Why minor use permits?

Even as pest management practices and the crop protection marketplace change – being influenced by a range of factors, from environmental considerations to consumer demands – growers of horticultural crops require access to safe and effective chemicals for strategic use. But sometimes a lack of access to registered crop protection products can be encountered.

The problem may be that while a relatively small crop area is valuable in an agricultural sense, it may not be of sufficient size for agrichemical companies to justify the expense of registering a product use on that crop. Alternately, the disease, pest, or weed problem may be regional or spasmodic, meaning agrichemical companies are less inclined to bear the initial high cost of registering a suitable chemical product.

Enter minor use permits. The APVMA’s national permit system adds some flexibility to the approval process and provides a legal framework to allow growers access to products for ‘minor use’ purposes.

The Raspberry and Blackberry Fund project Rubus industry minor use permit program (RB16000) facilitates the submission of renewals and applications for these minor use permits as required.

What about pesticide data generation?

The generation of pesticide residue, efficacy and crop safety data is required to support label registration and minor use permit applications that are made to the APVMA. Hort Innovation’s data generation work is supported by assistance grants, which Hort Innovation seeks on behalf of industry through the Australian Government’s Access to Industry Uses of Agricultural and Veterinary (AgVet) Chemicals program.

Details on data generation investments relevant to the raspberry and blackberry industry can be found in the Your investments section of this website, or by using the ‘Related projects’ section of this page.

Related information and resources

Strategic Agrichemical Review Processes (SARPs)

SARP reports are funded by Hort Innovation to investigate pest problems, agrichemical usage and pest management alternatives for horticulture industries across Australia. The results provide a clear view of gaps in existing pest control options, and are intended to assist each industry with agrichemical selection and usage into the future – that is, they provide direction for the industry to pursue for chemical registrations with agrichemical companies, or minor use permits with the APVMA.

The current SARP report for the raspberry and blackberry industry is available to download here. It was released in 2020.

This report is not a comprehensive assessment of all pests and control methods used in the industry, but attempts to prioritise the major problems.

Ag Chemical Updates

Hort Innovation distributes Ag Chemical Updates for the Australian horticulture industry, as part of the project Regulatory support and coordination (pesticides) (MT20007) and formerly, Regulatory support and coordination (pesticides) (MT17019). These updates provide information on any developments in regulatory oversight of relevant chemicals, and are an opportunity for industry to consider and develop responses to issues arising from actions proposed that may impact on grower ability to access and use needed products. Ag Chemical Updates can be accessed from their dedicated page here.

Non-performance reporting form

You can access the Non-Performance Reporting Form for Horticultural Pesticides here. This form should be completed when an adverse experience occurs as a result of using a minor use permit. A 'non-performance' is an unintended or unexpected effect on plants, plant products, animals, human beings or the environment, including injury, sensitivity reactions or lack of efficacy associated with the use of an agricultural chemical product(s) when used according to permit or label directions.

Permits, maximum residue limits and the food standards code

Users are advised that while a product can be applied legally under an APVMA minor use permit, there can be a significant delay until the maximum residue limit (MRL) gazetted by the APVMA is adopted in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Until this occurs, the MRL may not be recognised and a zero tolerance may be imposed for residues of the pesticide resulting from its use according to the APVMA permit.

Please be aware that in the absence of an MRL in the Food Standards Code, the use of the pesticide according to the permit may result in the suspension of the produce in the marketplace. Please check the FSANZ website or the Australian Government ComLaw website to confirm if there are MRLs established by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.