CropLife Australia, the national industry body for the plant science sector, has released the official 2025 Resistance Management Strategies for fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. These strategies offer essential guidance to help Australian farmers preserve the long-term effectiveness of their crop protection tools.
Pesticide resistance can develop rapidly without proactive management and remains a widespread issue across all agricultural regions. The new strategies are considered essential reading for farmers and environmental land managers who aim to maintain crop yield, quality, and profitability, or to manage and protect native landscapes.
"Pesticide resistance isn't a future risk; it's a current threat in every major growing region of the country," said Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia. "Without robust stewardship, we risk losing access to the essential tools that underpin modern, productive agriculture."
Recent data reveals that 78% of fruit, 54% of vegetables, and 32% of cereals produced in Australia rely on farmers' access to and use of crop protection products. Resistance not only threatens the long-term viability of these tools, but also jeopardizes agricultural productivity, food availability, and affordability.
The plant science industry, through CropLife Australia, invests significantly in the development and annual revision of these widely used Resistance Management Strategies. Developed in collaboration with expert technical committees, including national and international scientific specialists, the strategies provide science-based guidance to support on-farm decision-making and help growers stay ahead of resistance risks.
The strategies emphasize several core principles: alternating and mixing modes of action to disrupt resistance pathways; avoiding overreliance on single-site chemistries; applying products early and appropriately to reduce selection pressure; and integrating chemical use with other agronomic practices to support best-practice pest and disease management.
"These guidelines don't replace the product label and permits; they complement them," said Cossey. "They provide farmers and environmental land managers with the best available technical direction to steward these products responsibly and protect the productivity of their land into the future."
By adhering to these guidelines, Australian farmers are also aligning with international best practices for addressing broader antimicrobial resistance concerns.
Cossey concluded, "CropLife Australia and its members continue to make substantial investments into innovation, research and development, field extension, and resistance monitoring to ensure all product users have the most up-to-date information and innovations needed to stay ahead of resistance challenges and remain productive."
For more information:
Rachel Mackenzie
Berries Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 408 796 199
Email: [email protected]
www.berries.net.au
