Viterra has successfully obtained a National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation to carry out glyphosate testing on multiple grain commodities in its laboratory.
The company carries out glyphosate testing to confirm grain within its network meets the maximum residue limit for importing countries, which can be as low as zero. This important test ensures South Australian grain meets market requirements.
The NATA accreditation means Viterra’s glyphosate testing method has been independently assessed assuring confidence in results.
In recent years, Viterra has made a significant investment in its chemical residue testing equipment with the aim of bringing more testing in house to provide increasingly efficient and reliable results.
Glyphosate is the latest NATA accredited test for the company following existing accreditations for diquat, paraquat, imazamox, imazapic, imazapyr, imazaquin and imazethapyr chemicals.
By conducting these examinations themselves, Viterra is able to be even more confident grain deliveries meet end use customer needs. Stock selection is also more efficient which helps the company choose the right local grain for different markets.
Viterra is focused on traceability, exacting quality and food safety to meet customer needs and varying importing and exporting authorities’ requirements. This in turn maintains access for local growers’ grain.
As well as NATA accreditations, Viterra holds a number of other certifications and accreditations demonstrating its continued focus on creating value for growers through access to several markets.
One example of this is its ISO 22000:2018 certification, which meets the highest international standards in food safety and quality management, and the highest of any grain supply chain in Australia. All of Viterra’s facilities are ISO 22000:2018 certified and the company has held ISO 22000 certification for more than 20 years, which it continues to meet as updates to the standards are introduced.
Viterra’s state of the art laboratory is at the centre of its high standards and food and feed safety systems. The purpose built facility located in South Australia supports the network of sites by testing at multiple points throughout the supply chain.
The team at the laboratory conduct comprehensive grain classification, testing for end user quality specifications and chemical residue testing. They also oversee testing conducted at all Viterra sites to ensure accurate and consistent results for growers.