Australia

The National Residue Survey (NRS) is a vital part of the Australian system for managing the risk of chemical residues and environmental contaminants in Australian animal and plant products. The core work of the NRS is to facilitate the testing of animal and plant products for pesticide and veterinary medicine residues and environmental contaminants. The NRS designs residue monitoring programs in consultation with industry and the department’s Exports Division. Monitoring of chemical residues in food through the NRS is part of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s strategy to minimise chemical residues in agricultural produce.  

For plants, only 24 grain commodities and 4 types of horticulture products (i.e. apple, pear, almond and macadamia) are tested. The annual testing results can be accessed at the link: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/agriculture-land/farm-food-drought/food/nrs/nrs-results-publications