Historical document
Maintaining biosecurity standards for soil-borne pathogens and weeds in the strawberry runner industry (BS07014)
Publication date: July 1, 2012
Delivery Partner: Victorian Department of Primary Industries (VICDPI)
This is a final research report from Hort Innovation’s historical archives. Please note that as these reports may date back as far as the 1990s, the content and recommendations within them may be superseded by more recent research.
Methyl bromide (MB) was a highly effective soil fumigant that was being phased-out due to its ability to degrade the ozone layer. The strawberry runner industry was the last remaining user of MB for soil fumigation in Australia. Phase out of MB in the industry was reliant on trials in this project and registration of methyl iodide (MI), however its withdrawal from Australia meant other alternatives needed to be developed. Australia was only one of three remaining countries applying for ‘Critical Use Exemptions’ (CUEs) under the Montreal Protocol to retain the use of MB. Many other countries were able to adopt fumigant alternatives but these had proven ineffective in the heavy soils and climate experienced in the southern Australian production districts at Toolangi, where strawberry runners were grown. In spite of this, the project had demonstrated many other successful outcomes.
Without registration of MI, there were few alternatives for the runner industry to phase-out MB. Industry and government needed to consider: (1) ongoing CUE applications for MB, or (2) accepting the risks of reduced biosecurity levels in runners with MB alternatives used at the time and determining the legal responsibility for this risk.
This historical project was a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Strawberry Fund
© 2026 Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited.
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