Our classification process, receival standards and food safety requirements are based on industry guidelines and ensuring market access is maintained for farmers’ grain.
We follow Grains Australia’s wheat variety master list to determine our variety list, if you deliver a variety that is not on our list, the highest grade you can achieve is SFW1 feed grade.
View the 2025/26 variety list including varieties planned for removal next season.
We are continuing to trial technology which allows us to test the variety of malt barley samples in our laboratory. This innovative technology will help us confirm the variety of malt deliveries to ensure there is no varietal contamination within our segregations.
Maltsters require malt barley of a single variety to produce high quality malt and are investing in varietal recognition technology to confirm this. To maintain access to the premium malting market for SA farmers, we must ensure we supply malt barley with high varietal purity.
We will continue to test harvest partitions regularly to ensure malt barley meets the specific requirements of end use customers, including variety.
We retain samples of all malt barley deliveries for traceability and varietal testing. If we find varietal contamination within our malt barley harvest partitions, our contamination procedure will be implemented as the segregation may need to be downgraded to feed.
Non-GM canola (CANO) varieties
GM canola (CAGM) varieties
The mould (MD) quality parameter for canola has been renamed to discoloured seed coat (DSC).
The receival standards and testing method have also been updated from max count 30/1,000 seeds to max count 3/100 seeds, making the classification process quicker.
There is no change to the definition of DSC within the visual standards recognition guide or tolerance.
This name change reflects that multiple factors can cause grey/white colouring in canola.
The mould (MD) quality parameter for canola has been renamed to discoloured seed coat (DSC).
The receival standards and testing method have also been updated from max count 30/1,000 seeds to max count 3/100 seeds, making the classification process quicker.
There is no change to the definition of DSC within the visual standards recognition guide or tolerance.
This name change reflects that multiple factors can cause grey/white colouring in canola.
View our draft segregation plan to learn where we are planning to receive GM and non-GM canola this harvest.
You must declare if you are delivering GM canola for all deliveries. Bunge can only receive varieties of canola from the Australian Oilseeds Federation approved list for varieties.
GM canola will be received into the grade name, CAGM, and non-GM canola will continue to be received as CANO.
As GM and non-GM supply chains are being managed separately, commodity classification transfers are not available for GM canola.
Farmers are reminded of the importance of maintaining strong hygiene practices when storing, handling, transporting and harvesting GM canola, as well as accurately declaring the variety and if it is genetically modified when delivering to our sites.
To ensure we meet the requirements of end users and maintain market access for farmers’ canola, we test non-GM canola harvest partitions for GM canola and retain samples of all canola deliveries for traceability.
Where we detect GM canola in non-GM segregations our contamination procedure will be implemented, including testing individual samples to determine the source of contamination.
The receival fee for GM canola is slightly higher than non-GM canola due to the additional testing, cleaning processes and separate handling that is required to manage it.
From the 2024/25 harvest, we will not receive canola treated with haloxyfop. We advised this change prior to last harvest, giving farmers the opportunity to review their chemical use to ensure access is maintained for SA canola to the premium European Union (EU) market.
Last year, the EU announced its intention to reduce the MRL for haloxyfop on canola. This has since been confirmed, and the regulatory change will come into effect from 19 August 2024. More information in Grain Trade Australia’s market update.
As we will not receive haloxyfop treated canola, we will continue to require a haloxyfop declaration for all canola deliveries. Accurate declarations are crucial to ensure we can maintain market access for SA farmers’ grain into the EU market.
We retain samples of all canola deliveries for traceability and chemical residue testing. We monitor for haloxyfop within our network, and our contamination procedure will be implemented if grain treated with haloxyfop is delivered.
Industry advised farmers to not use haloxyfop on canola from the 2023/24 season onwards to meet the EU’s expected new MRL. We thank farmers for transitioning to alternate herbicides, helping us maintain access to this premium market for all SA farmers.
We’ve increased the total defective grain tolerance for A grade lentils, allowing you to achieve a higher grade.
Lentil deliveries with total defective grain between 4.5 and 5% will now achieve A grade instead of B grade, meaning you can achieve a higher value for their delivery and no tonnage deductions will be applied.
We have also reduced the tonnage deduction to 1% instead of 1.5% for B grade lentils with total defective grain between 5.1 and 6%.
Deliveries also need to meet all other receival standards for the relevant grade.
Our continued investment in our supply chain has enabled us to change how we store lentils and increase our service offering to farmers, while continuing to meet buyers’ quality requirements and maintain market access for SA and western Vic grain.
In May 2024, there was industry news of international markets beginning discussions about reducing the carbendazim fungicide MRL to zero.
Currently no changes have been made. Carbendazim can still be used on pulse crops (as per the label) and it cannot be used on cereals and oilseeds.
Industry advice is to use alternative fungicides on pulses and transition away from carbendazim. Farmers should speak with their farm advisor for advice regarding use and alternate options.
We will continue to conduct chemical residue testing on composite partition samples for all commodities throughout harvest to ensure we can maintain market access for South Australian (SA) grain. If we detect contaminated grain in our segregations, our contamination procedure will be implemented. Through our traceability programme, we can trace chemical use back to the individual farmer.
Our classification process ensures grain delivered to our network meets the food safety and quality requirements of our end use customers, to maintain market access for farmers’ grain.
We are constantly reviewing and adapting our classification process to allow farmers to deliver while continuing to meet these requirements.
To ensure consistency across our network, our permanent and harvest employees go through extensive classification training each year, and our laboratory tests site samples daily throughout harvest.
The commodity classification transfer procedure allows for a load to be classified at one site (testing site) and received at another while retaining its original classification (subject to nil tolerance contaminants or defects).
Farmers can utilise a commodity classification transfer to deliver to an alternate site if the testing site does not have a segregation for the grade of their delivery.
Farmers are also encouraged to use the commodity classification transfer procedure for deliveries to port, to ensure grain meets specification before travelling.
The load will be graded at the testing site in line with receival standards. Eligible loads will have the opportunity for an upgrade through dynamic binning at the receiving site, provided the stack average allows and it meets the dynamic binning criteria.
Deliveries being transferred do not have priority over others in the sampling queue.
If a nil tolerance contaminant or defect is found in the load at any stage of the receival process, the load will be declined.
Commodity classification transfers are not available for genetically modified (GM) canola varieties due to contamination risks.
Bunge subscribes to the National Residue Survey (NRS) – a crucial part of the Australian system for managing risks of chemical residues in Australian food products.
To support this programme, we conduct chemical residue testing on composite partition samples throughout harvest. We may also collect individual farmer load samples for chemical residue traceability.
If a breach to the Australian maximum residue limit (MRL) is detected, Bunge is obliged to provide its traceability results to Biosecurity South Australia which may trigger an investigation. Any breaches to Australian MRLs may also be followed up through Bunge's contaminated grain process.
More information about farmers’ role in managing chemical residues.
The classification retest procedure is used when a farmer (or their representative) requests a retest for a quality parameter where the result is outside the anticipated grade for their load at the point of receival.
The classification retest procedure is in line with the Grain Trade Australia (GTA) disputing classification technical guideline. This outlines the quality parameters that can be disputed, the sample to be assessed and the allowable variation of the initial result from the standards limit.
Each variety has different physical qualities and processing performance, which deliver different end product results for end use customers.
Bunge participates in varietal identification programmes where farmer load samples will be randomly selected at sites across the Bunge network and tested to ensure varietal declarations have been correctly recorded.
This information is forwarded to relevant industry research groups and is used to establish appropriate codes of practice for the delivery of grain.
Through dynamic binning, growers have the opportunity to have their wheat, barley and canola upgraded for loads that are just outside of the receival standards.
Food safety and quality management is of critical importance to the Australian grain industry.
Farmers play a major role in upholding grain quality, protecting its reputation, and meeting end use market requirements.
As part of this, farmers must ensure they manage contaminants and chemical applications in line with regulations.
Farmers must also make sure that all equipment used for holding, transferring and carrying grain is inspected and cleaned prior to use in line with Bunge's vehicle hygiene requirements. Farmers using carriers are required to ensure the carrier’s truck is clean before loading grain, as farmers are accountable for the delivery of grain.
At Bunge, food safety and quality management is integrated into all of our activities and operations.
Bunge subscribes to the National Residue Survey (NRS) – a crucial part of the Australian system for managing risks of chemical residues in Australian food products.
To support this programme, we conduct chemical residue testing on composite partition samples throughout harvest. We may also collect individual farmer load samples for chemical residue traceability.
Farmers play a critical role in upholding Australia’s grain quality. When applying chemicals, farmers must adhere to:
It is critical that only registered/approved chemicals are used on crops and any chemicals applied are appropriately declared when delivering grain. Learn more about our delivery declaration.
Information on the current Australian chemical registrations and permits can be found on the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority website
.If a breach to the Australian maximum residue limit (MRL) is detected, Bunge is obliged to provide its traceability results to Biosecurity South Australia which may trigger an investigation. Any breaches to Australian MRLs may also be followed up through Bunge's contaminated grain process.
Importing countries and end use markets also have varying requirements that need to be met to maintain market access in these countries. Due to the varying requirements, chemical residues present on grain can still be in excess of some market requirements when following label instructions.
All domestic and export markets for Australia’s grain have a low or nil tolerance for chemical residues and contaminants.
To maintain grain quality and access to export markets, Bunge has a nil tolerance for:
All equipment used for holding, transferring and carrying grain must be inspected and cleaned prior to use. Particular attention should be paid to augers, bins and harvesters that may not have been used for some time and therefore might contain traces of old or pickled grain, fertiliser (especially with the additive Flutriafol) or rodent control measures.
Farmers and carriers have an obligation to cease loading on farm if contaminants are found.
If a contaminant is detected:
Farmers using carriers are required to ensure the carrier’s truck is clean before loading the grain as farmers are accountable for the delivery of grain.
Refer to the full list of contaminants on each receival standard.
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