Agrisearch Analytical's Ninth Anniversary
Agrisearch Analytical has just passed its 9th anniversary, having started just after the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and as we emerge from the toughest trading period that we have experienced, it is appropriate to reflect on some of the values that sustain Agrisearch Analytical and differentiate us from our competitors.
At Agrisearch Analytical we believe that our staff underpin the success of the business. Many companies make this statement and for some it is a platitude, but for us it is reflected in staff loyalty. In an age where staff turnover is the norm (eg a report in 2007 stated that one in four Australian workers had been in their job less than a year), our organization only had one in eight with only one years service. Whereas 40% of our staff have been here for 5 years or greater. This continuity for our clients means that the person you dealt with last month is there to help you next month, and probably next year as well. There are many reasons for this high level of staff retention, but one factor is that the staff own 50% of the company.
Agrisearch Analytical works closely with the APVMA and with other regulators to ensure that residue and product submissions are consistent with regulatory requirements. The staff at Agrisearch Analytical have personal contact with key people at the APVMA and it is not unusual for the APVMA to contact us to discuss technical aspects of residue chemistry.
Managing Director, Ross Shields supporting the Federal Government's "No leave, no life!" campaign on a recent surfing trip to the Maldives.
Getting Physical in Orange
Our Product Testing Laboratory in Orange is being kept busy with a variety of storage stability studies underway at the moment. Laboratory Technician Jake Chapman has mastered the techniques required to analyse a wide range of products for the physical characteristics that are required by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). Christine Andrews, our laboratory supervisor meanwhile has been occupied with the analysis of these products by liquid Chromatography (LC) and Gas Chromatography (GC) and is using her experience to develop and validate the analytical methods required for these projects.
Christine Andrews, supervisor of Orange Laboratory
All of the storage stability studies carried out at Agrisearch Analytical, Orange are conducted according to the “Guidelines for the Generation of Storage Stability Data of Agricultural Chemical Products” December 2005 and methods are validated according to the “Guidelines for the Validation of Active Constituent, Agricultural and Veterinary Chemical Products” October 2004 as published by the APVMA, Canberra, Australia.
Jake Chapman performing a physical test
By ensuring that the criteria set out in these guidelines are met, our customers can be confident with the analytical data they submit to the APVMA as part of their product registration. For more information on storage stability studies or any other area of product testing contact our Laboratory Manager Susan McKeon by calling (02) 9810 3666 or by email susan_mckeon@agrisearchanalytical.com.au .
22nd Conference of Residue Chemists - Sydney 2009
The Biannual Australian Conference of Residue Chemists (CRC) was held in Sydney from 9 to 12 November 2009 at the Menzies Hotel, Sydney. The event made a welcome return to Sydney after being held in every Australian mainland capital city and Wellington, NZ since it was last held in Sydney in 1997. International speakers included Glenn Kennedy from the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, Belfast, Northern Ireland and Michelangelo Anastassiades from the EU Community Reference Laboratory for Pesticides using Single Residue Methods. Ross Shields, Lan Byrnes and Farid Kakall were on the organising committee for the 2009 CRC, for which the theme was “Residue Chemistry: Safer Food - A Safer World”. A report will be posted soon.
Rozelle Laboratory
With the commencement of the current financial year Agrisearch Analytical has taken over the lease on the building at 48 Victoria Rd, Rozelle where we have been located since the inception of the company in 2000. This commitment to our Rozelle site for another 10 years means stability for the organization and allows for staged expansion within the building.
Since June Agrisearch Analytical has acquired another 50 square metres of floor space and further expansion is planned for 2010 with the installation of a second freezer room for sample storage. We now have a dedicated meeting room with conference facilities. As the primary lessee, we have greater flexibility for increasing laboratory space and accommodating new instrumentation but remaining within the existing premises.
The Rozelle location is convenient for visitors from interstate and overseas, being only 3km from the Sydney CBD and a half hour cab ride from Sydney Airport.
New Agilent 7000A GC/MS/MS
This Agilent system is the first one of its kind to be installed in a commercial laboratory in Australia. It compliments our 2 existing LC/MS/MS systems and 2 GC/MS systems and will help to extend the range of possible analytes and lower detection limits for pesticide screens.
So far all the indications are that this new technology will be a very useful addition to our armoury in tackling the ever increasing demands for faster turnaround time and lower detection limits. This means that in the very near future we will be able to offer our clients multi-residue test methods which are capable of meeting reporting limits required by the EU and the Japanese for export food commodities.
Lan Byrnes, our Technical Manager, setting up a run on the Agilent 7000A.
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