Meeting the Requirments

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• Check that your farm complies with all relevant state and Australian regulations. This guide describes ways to meet some of these requirements in a grain farming system.

• Refer to relevant codes of practice and industry guidelines. It would not be considered reasonable to ignore these unless a suitable alternative has been identified and documented.

• Comply with the requirements for crop inputs, and technologies that you use (eg chemical use labels, trait licences or stewardship agreements).

• Ensure storages and procedures for handling fuel meet regulatory requirements. Australian Standard 1940: The Storage and Handling of Flammable and Combustible Liquids is mandatory in some states.

• Meet the requirements specified by the buyer of your grain.

• If your buyer or contract requires specific certification (eg canola sustainability certification for Europe), be sure to have the necessary information to complete the declaration and be prepared for a potential audit.

• Avoid actions or making requests of staff or contractors that may create safety risks or result in breaking the law.

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Other Practices to Consider in your Grain Farming Enterprise 

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• Using an integrated, robust management system to keep farm records.

• Incorporating quality assurance into contracts if the buyer requires it.

• Preparing a farm map.

• Assessing and managing risks such as those from historical activities (eg former sheep dips), adjacent properties, roadways, easements and waterways.

• Notifying neighbours and other stakeholders (eg beekeepers) of your cropping intentions (essential for genetically modified varieties), pesticide use plan and other issues as appropriate where there are sensitive crops or land uses nearby.

• Obtaining from suppliers assurance for the quality and integrity of crop inputs (where possible) and recording this with batch numbers of chemical and fertiliser inputs in case of a later issue with efficacy or contamination.