Suspension Of Specific Dimethoate Products
13 November 2025, AU: The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has confirmed it has suspended the product registration and label approval of chemical products containing dimethoate for use on blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
No other chemicals used on blueberries, raspberries or blackberries require regulatory action at this stage.
In August, the APVMA announced a proposed suspension of dimethoate for use on berries, followed by a one-month period of consultation. The decision announced today represents the final decision.
The APVMA had received new information gathered by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) which indicates that Australians’ consumption of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries has increased significantly compared to the amount assessed during the most recent dimethoate reconsideration completed in 2017.
Based on these consumption figures, the APVMA reassessed the potential level of dietary exposure for all chemicals approved for use in these berries and found that use of dimethoate following the approved label directions does not leave an adequate safety-margin between the possible level of dimethoate residues and the maximum acceptable level of exposure. The APVMA considers the level of residues detected are unlikely to pose a serious risk to human health but has suspended use as a precautionary measure.
Berries remain safe to eat.
The APVMA remains satisfied that all other approved uses of dimethoate are safe.
The APVMA has published Notice of the suspension in the APVMA Gazette No 23, Tuesday 11 November 2025, including a brief statement of reasons for the decision, and instructions for use during the suspension period, which allow the continued use of dimethoate with a 14-day harvest withholding period when used on blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. The permit is valid for one year.
Holders of dimethoate product registrations may apply to the APVMA to vary their registration to include a 14-day harvest withholding period for blueberries, blackberries and raspberries or remove the use pattern on those berries entirely, which will result in the product no longer being suspended.
The decision to suspend the registration and labels of specific dimethoate products follows public consultation on the proposed suspension, which closed 2 September 2025. Twenty-two submissions were received, 16 of which provided permission to publish on the APVMA website. All submissions were reviewed; however, no information was provided to change the APVMA’s assessment that the products may not meet the safety criteria and the labels may not meet the labelling criteria set out in the Agvet Code. A summary of the submissions and the APVMA’s consideration is available on the APVMA website.
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