Viterra thanks growers for keeping food safety and quality management standards front of mind as they begin to deliver grain to its sites, with the 2024/25 harvest now underway.
Growers play a critical role in maintaining the reputation of South Australian grain and access to domestic and international markets by ensuring end use requirements are met.
It is vital only registered and approved chemicals are used on crops, and any chemical use is in line with regulations and appropriately declared when delivering grain to Viterra on its delivery advice and declaration.
Growers are required to complete a delivery advice and declaration for each delivery to the company, available on the Viterra app through digital delivery advice or as a hard copy book at Viterra sites.
Accurate declarations are important so Viterra can manage stocks to meet end use customer requirements and maintain market access.
This includes correctly declaring the variety of malt barley and if canola is genetically modified to prevent contamination within segregations. Viterra tests harvest partitions regularly and retains samples of all malt barley and canola deliveries for traceability.
To uphold food safety standards, growers are also required to declare the last commodity carried by the vehicle making a delivery and ensure appropriate cleaning has been performed based on this.
Growers are reminded to maintain strong hygiene practices when storing, handling, transporting and harvesting genetically modified (GM) canola to prevent contaminating non-GM canola.
Cleaning grain handling equipment is also essential, as on farm equipment such as augers, bins and headers could contain traces of old or pickled grain, fertiliser or bait for pests, particularly if they haven’t been used in a while.
Viterra checks for nil tolerance contaminants such as these at classification and throughout the delivery process. The full list of contaminants is available on the receival standards on Viterra’s website, and are in line with Grain Trade Australia standards to ensure market access is maintained.
For more information about delivering to Viterra, visit viterra.com.au.