What was it all about?

This investment prioritised agrichemical efforts for the vegetable industry. With close consultation with growers, it identified pest priorities for vegetable commodities to aid in updating industry Strategic Agrichemical Review Processes (SARPs) and to inform industry direction at the annual AgChem Collaborative Forum, and lead the progression of minor use permits and chemical registrations.

The project team conducted 30 regional crop-specific workshops where pest priority issues for vegetable growers were recorded, as well as one-on-one discussions with growers and agronomists. Additionally, an online crop-specific pest survey was developed as a platform to capture and rank the vegetable industry’s pest concerns.

Pest priorities gathered through industry consultation were used to produce 35 crop-specific reports that will aid in the update and development of the vegetable industry SARP documents, which will give the industry a clear outlook of priority pests and potential gaps in existing agrichemical pest control options. This information will be used to inform and direct future R&D investment in crop protection.