Watchdog flags safety concerns for children over pesticide sprayed on berries

Australia's pesticide regulator has flagged fresh health concerns for young children over a chemical sprayed on berries.

With their high nutritional content, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries have become a favourite for families as part of healthier diets.

But the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) says existing regulations over using dimethoate - an insecticide widely used to stop berries being spoiled by fruit fly - need strengthening to keep people safe.

In a decision announced this week, the national watchdog said children aged between two and six years old who ate berries treated with dimethoate within seven days or less of harvest risked exposure of the chemical beyond safe limits.

The APVMA ruled fruit growers must now wait at least 14 days