WA extends deadline for new phosphine workplace exposure limit to 2029
The Western Australian Government announced on 14 October 2026 that it will delay the new workplace exposure limit for phosphine by three years. The new limit will now take effect in WA from 1 December 2029, instead of 1 December 2026.
Phosphine is the primary fumigant used to protect stored grain across the Australian supply chain, from on-farm storage to bulk terminals. Work health and safety ministers agreed in 2024 to cut the eight-hour exposure limit from 0.3 parts per million to 0.05 ppm, following a Safe Work Australia review. Industry raised concerns that the lower limit could not yet be reliably measured or met in practice, with possible impacts on grain holding times, storage and supply chains.
The decision follows similar moves in Victoria and South Australia. The Government said it does not expect to grant another extension. Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said it is important that industry uses this time to make all necessary preparations.
The tighter limit will still arrive, and it adds to pressure from phosphine resistance in stored grain insects. UBL sees the next three years as an opportunity for the grains industry to assess alternative fumigants such as ethyl formate, which DAFF notes breaks down quickly in the environment.
Read more:
Deadline for workplace exposure limit for phosphine extended | WA Government
Roll-out of tough new phosphine rules delayed in WA | Farm Weekly
