Pyrethrum is grown right across the North-West and North of Tasmania with the major growing regions including Sassafras, Sisters Creek, Circular Head, Deloraine, Hagley and Scottsdale.

The pyrethrum flowers will bloom in late December with harvest season occurring in January and February.

“The floods that occurred in late June severely affected some towns close to rivers such as Latrobe and Forth but did not have a major impact on pyrethrum cropping areas,” Botanical Resources Australia agricultural business manager Tim Groom said.

Botanical Resources Australia is an Ulverstone-based pyrethrum processor that has a network of growers across the state.

“Some waterlogging in isolated pockets of some sites, not considered to be severe, but will have some impact. This is counterbalanced with good subsoil moisture in well drained sites,” Mr Groom said.

He said there had been some soil erosion due to the wet weather but it could not be classified as severe.

Mr Groom said the outlook for this year’s season remained good, as long as the weather dried out in time for harvest.

“Provided we don’t get an excessive amount of rain between now and harvest we believe the outlook is positive for an average yielding crop,” he said.

Botanical Resources Australia sales and marketing manager Sam Folder said the demand for pyrethrins insecticide remained stable in traditional markets such as the US and Western Europe.

The product is used as a means of insect control in sensitive environments such as food handling and processing facilities, food commodity storage, protected cropping and as a pre-harvest spray for short shelf-life crops.

“We are seeing opportunities in Western Europe, particularly in France, with new biodiversity laws and increasing restrictions on synthetic chemistry,” Mr Folder said.

He said there was an increased demand for more natural alternatives, considering the global organic movement, and increasing restrictions on synthetic chemistry.

“To capitalise on the increased consumer demand for ‘natural’ we will soon launch a new program with a brand mark to appear on consumer products containing Australian Natural Pyrethrins,” he said.

Pyrethrum is an insecticide made from the dried flower heads of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium and coccineum flowers.