Media Release | 8 September 2026
Lachlan Hunter MLA
Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food
Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Lachlan Hunter MP has accused the Cook Labor Government of being asleep at the wheel over drastic new phosphine exposure limits, warning the changes could have major consequences for Western Australia’s grain industry just months before harvest.
“The Cook Labor Government must urgently explain how Western Australia’s grain industry is expected to comply with the new limits, amid serious warnings from industry that implementing compliant systems before the 1 December deadline may be impractical and economically unviable,” Mr Hunter said.
From 1 December, the workplace exposure limit for phosphine will be slashed by more than 80 per cent, from 0.3 parts per million to just 0.05ppm.
“Last harvest, WA growers delivered more than 24 million tonnes into the CBH network, including a record 16.3 million tonnes stored under tarps in open bulkheads,” Mr Hunter said.
“CBH itself says 20 million tonne harvests are becoming the norm. Yet we are now less than three months from a dramatic regulatory change and, according to the Minister, the Government’s response is an education campaign. For an industry handling more than 20 million tonnes of grain a year, that simply isn’t good enough.
“The Minister says industry has had more than two years’ notice. The question is: what has her Government done with those two years to ensure these changes can be implemented safely and practically?
“Who has the Minister actually consulted, and what practical assessment has been done to determine whether these limits are achievable across WA’s grain supply chain? What modelling has been undertaken, what will compliance cost growers, and what happens during a record harvest if grain cannot be fumigated, cleared and moved quickly enough?”
Mr Hunter said that Grain Trade Australia has already warned that developing compliant systems at scale before the December deadline is impractical and economically unviable.
“This isn’t farmers complaining about change. These are serious warnings from the people responsible for storing, handling and exporting Australian grain. Phosphine is one of the most important tools our industry has to control insects in stored grain. Get pest management wrong and the consequences can flow through grain quality, quarantine, market access and exports.
“One grain weevil in the wrong parcel of grain can create a major problem. When WA is handling harvests north of 20 million tonnes, the Government cannot afford to get this wrong.
“Nobody is arguing against worker safety. Our growers and grain handlers want their workers to go home safely every day.
“But worker safety and a functioning grain industry are not mutually exclusive. Regulation has to be based on sound science and capable of actually working in a grain shed, silo or bulkhead, not just on a bureaucrat’s spreadsheet.
“Victoria has already recognised the practical concerns and provided additional time. The question is whether the Cook Labor Government has even properly examined what these changes mean for Western Australia.
“WA farmers have just delivered the biggest crop in our history. They should not have their success jeopardised because the Cook Labor Government failed to understand the practical realities of the industry it is regulating.
“The Minister needs to get around the table with WA’s grain industry immediately and, if these limits cannot be safely and practically implemented by 1 December, seek a deferral.”
ENDS
