Presentation short abstract

Australia has the second highest rates of herbicide resistance in the world. This presentation draws on extensive qualitative research with farmers, agronomists and distributors to explain why Australian farmers are so reliant on herbicides and the enabling social and regulatory environments.

Presentation long abstract

Australia has the unenviable position of having the second highest rates of herbicide resistance in the world as well as the most extensive evolution of weed populations with resistance to multiple herbicides in grain producing regions. Yet there has been limited research into the social, regulatory and commercial environments that enable and encourage a high reliance on herbicides. This presentation draws on over 80 interviews with farmers, government staff, agronomists and distributors to consider how farmers perceive herbicides to be critical to profitability and sustainability, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on herbicide use when supply chains were interrupted, and the concerns being raised by some in the farming sector about the toxicity of herbicides banned elsewhere, such as paraquat. It then goes on to consider how the regulatory, commercial and technological environments reinforce the reliance on herbicides, the implications of Australia's dependence on China to produce herbicides and growing concerns among consumers about herbicide use and residues. Finally, the presentation considers the factors that may shape Australia's herbicide use in future and how this relates to international trends.