PERTH, AUSTRALIA — Cooperative Bulk Handling Ltd. (CBH Group), Australia’s largest grain exporter, announced on May 12 that it has signed a collaborative agreement with Universal Biosecurity Ltd. (UBL), to co-develop ethyl formate solutions for sustainable and cost-effective pest control for potential use within the CBH Group supply chain, including farm out loading to port storage.

UBL’s patented ethyl formate-based Fume 8 technology was developed by the company as a cost-effective time saving solution to current widely used fumigation methods using methyl bromide, which is now being phased out across the globe. UBL said the Fume 8 technology is proven to be highly effective on insects that can potentially cause widespread damage across the agriculture industry.

Craig McLure, head of grain technology for CBH, said the agreement looks to expand CBH’s suite of clean and environmentally safe insect treatment options, to ensure CBH continues to meet its customers’ and markets’ requirements for chemical residues on grain.

“As the country’s largest grain exporter, we are continually looking for ways to sustainably improve our operational processes and to ensure we are adhering to and exceeding the most stringent environmental standards and our export markets’ chemical residue limits,” he said.

Tom Puddy, chief executive officer of UBL, said the agreement with CBH Group marked a major milestone in UBL’s history and would pave the way for further growth and development of its groundbreaking, patented technology.

“The agreement signifies CBH Group’s commitment to work with us to further refine our technology to ensure it is fit for purpose and delivers on its significant environmental promises,” he said.

He said UBL’s strategy is to develop “technology application solutions” across industries that were experiencing logistical bottlenecks when moving cargo and raw materials to locations that cross biosecurity boundaries.

“The international grain supply chain, along with other supply chains, is currently being challenged by major weather events and environmental fluctuations as well as attempting to counter the impact of geo-political instability such as the ongoing war in the Ukraine,” he said. “These factors will continue to cause ongoing supply issues and shortages globally and have the potential to lead to impactful delays in getting raw material to growing demand markets.

"This agreement allows both parties to work together to deliver world class, sustainable technology solutions that, if developed successfully, will have commercial applications across multiple markets in Australia, North and South America, the European Union and closer to home with major producers across the Asian region.”