Performance and outlook

NRS quality assurance program

The purpose of the NRS quality assurance program is to maintain and improve, where practicable, the effectiveness and efficiency of all NRS operations. It covers the development of monitoring plans, the support of export certification and the domestic trade of animal products. Consultation with industry stakeholders ensures that all quality and operational aspects of NRS activities meet domestic and internationally accepted scientific standards, as well as NRS, industry and government requirements. A dedicated quality assurance officer has been recruited to carry out the program.

Management of IEAs in the NRS Special Account

Funds in the NRS Special Account continued to be managed in accordance with the National Residue Survey Administration Act 1992 and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. NRS has continued to consult with each participating industry on the level of the relevant IEA it wishes to maintain in the NRS Special Account, with the aim of providing for contingencies while making the best use of industry funds.

Management of tendering and contractual arrangements

NRS has continued to manage tendering and contractual arrangements for the supply of services in accordance with the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines.

Risk assessment and control strategy

NRS prepared a risk assessment and control strategy for each of the participating industries’ commodities based on financial, administrative and business aspects.

Commodities’ financial statements and budgets

Annual contracts for residue monitoring under direct payment

NRS provided residue analyses through a memorandum of understanding for the blueberry project and a contract for the camel project.

Outsourced service delivery

NRS received several corporate services through the Department, including IT, financial transactions processing, legal services, human resources services and property management. NRS contracted the maintenance of the NRS database to an external IT provider and the production of the NRS annual report, a legal requirement under the Act, to external contractors.

NRS requires an appropriate and flexible mix of staff with technical and administrative skills. Contract staff are used to meet short-term needs. Through performance agreements, coupled with ongoing appraisal and development, NRS seeks to ensure that it has the committed and skilled staff needed to achieve its objectives efficiently and effectively. Business activities related to human resource and other resource management matters are included in the business unit of the Division of Product Integrity, Animal and Plant Health. The Director of NRS maintains a direct oversighting role in the financial and business support activities pertaining to NRS.

NRS consulted with all industries to ensure that current IEAs in the NRS Special Account were adequate to cater for residue monitoring projects conducted in 2007–2008, and into the future. During 2007–2008, the levies paid by each industry were monitored continually and assessed using forecast production levels.

The generation of sample requests, data receipt, payment to service providers, and data storage, processing and retrieval continue to be automated by the NRS database.

NRS sends samples either directly to specified laboratories or to the NRS central receival and dispatch facility for aggregation, repacking and forwarding to laboratories.

Laboratories report analytical results to NRS electronically. Results are entered onto the database and checked by NRS.

Database upgrade

Specifications for the redesigned NRS database are now at an advanced stage and tenders will be requested in the near future.

Sample collection and data management – random monitoring

Sample requests for random monitoring projects are generated by NRS officers. Details of the samples to be collected are sent to collection points for action.

During 2007–2008, NRS coordinated the collection and dispatch of 18 889 samples for the random residue monitoring programs. Results from the analytical laboratories were entered into the NRS database.

Sample collection and data management – targeted monitoring

NRS collected analytical results from 701 samples through the targeted monitoring, compliance testing and residue prevention projects. These results were entered into the NRS database within one day of receipt. For these targeted projects, samples are collected according to specific project rules and NRS is responsible only for processing of laboratory results and their dispatch to appropriate authorities.

Storage of results

Results of all chemical analyses are stored in the NRS database. The database is backed up each night.

Reporting of residue detections

During 2007–2008, NRS reported the detection of 54 residues of agvet chemicals and environmental contaminants above Australian Standards to appropriate regulatory authorities within agreed timeframes to enable required actions to be taken, including prompt traceback investigations.

Database security

The NRS database continued to be managed under the ‘Release of Information’ requirements of the Act to ensure confidentiality and privacy, according to National Privacy Principles.

The National Residue Survey Annual Report 2006–2007

The parliamentary secretary approved tabling of the National Residue Survey Annual Report 2006–2007 on 6 October 2007, and it was tabled in the Senate (out of session) on 23 October 2007 and in the House of Representatives on 13 February 2008. Tabling dates were adjusted to accommodate the dissolution of parliament due to the general election. Following tabling, the report was distributed by mail to approximately 300 stakeholders, and a web-friendly version was added to the NRS website.

The NRS brochure was published both on paper and electronically on the web. It provides a summary of results from all NRS residue testing programs to give participating industries summaries of the compliance of their products with appropriate standards. NRS staff distributed copies of the brochure to industry and at residue conferences, on visits to grain terminals and other sites of importance. NRS laboratory assessment staff also used the brochures on visits to laboratories and on field audits. Copies are available for visitors to the NRS offices.

NRS is currently developing further industry-specific brochures, following requests from industry.

Awareness-raising articles

NRS submitted articles concerning relevant projects to Onions Australia, the Tree Fruit Journal and the Australian Macadamia Society Bulletin.

Conference papers

NRS staff presented papers at the Apple and Pear Annual General Meeting and Conference (August 2007), the Grains Council Executive Meeting (October 2007), the Onion Industry Annual General Meeting (October 2007), the Australian Macadamia Society Annual General Meeting (October 2007), the Grains Council Executive Meeting (October 2007), and the National Working Party on Grain Protection (June 2008).

A paper entitled An Australian Approach to Chemical Residue Management: Concepts, Programs and Results was presented to the 8th European Pesticide Residue Workshop held in Berlin (June 2008).

Food standards for key international markets

NRS continued to publish and update international maximum residue limit (MRL) tables on the NRS website.