Botanical Resources Australia Pty Ltd

Company Profile

Botanical Resources Australia Pty. Ltd. (BRA) is the Australian producer of pyrethrum, the natural insecticide. It is primarily based on the island of Tasmania, the most southerly state of Australia. Tasmania is almost the same size as the Republic of Ireland and only slightly smaller than Scotland. It lies forty two degrees south of the equator and has a temperate climate with cool winters and mild summers. It has a moderate rainfall, which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.
Due to its climate, availability of agricultural land, experienced growers, strict quarantine controls and a stable democratic government, significant agricultural industries with large overseas export markets have been successfully established in Tasmania, like the poppy industry, which is the world’s largest producer of opium alkaloids and the potato industry, which is a significant supplier of potatoes for the fast food chains.
An additional production area is being developed in the fertile krasnozem soils in the farming area around the Victorian town of Ballarat. Victoria is the most southerly state on the eastern side of the mainland of Australia, some two hundred and forty kilometres north of Tasmania, across the Bass Strait. This development will provide further regional diversification and will assist significantly in addressing logistic issues associated with future expansion.
The pyrethrum industry has grown from 750 hectares in 1996, when BRA was formed, to almost 4000 hectares in 2011. Building on a history of focussed research and development, BRA aims to achieve the most efficient pyrethrum industry in the world, using improvements in technology to constantly fine-tune all areas of its operation. The company currently supplies over 60% of the world’s pyrethrum market and aims to ensure that there is sufficient product available to meet both our current and any future customers’ expectations.
With a full-time permanent staff of 55 and extra people employed during the harvest season of December through February, BRA is now a significant employer in Tasmania, where most of the crop is grown and processed. Pyrethrum is grown on a contract basis by experienced farmers on top quality land, or on properties owned or leased by BRA. The growers who contract with BRA to grow pyrethrum, receive ongoing support and advice from a team of highly qualified and experienced field officers. The extension service is backed by a very strong in-house Agricultural Research and Development Team – a team whose efforts are augmented by a network of long term third party specialist research providers. Regular meetings allow growers to share skills and expertise and to receive updates on the industry. Classes have been offered in computing to enable growers to take advantage of modern technological advances.
The harvested pyrethrum is processed at BRA’s ever expanding site in Ulverstone in the north of Tasmania. Following on from the initial assistance and support of British Oxygen Company (BOC), a multinational company renowned for its chemical engineering excellence, BRA has continued to develop innovative, technological solutions to all aspects of post harvest processing. The processing is facilitated by new, technologically designed solvent extraction followed by CO2 refining. BRA formulates product to exacting specifications and it is then exported to customers all over the world.
During 2010, BRA designed, constructed and commissioned a second CO2 refinery to ensure excess capacity to enable timely conversion of product into finished goods for our customers. During 2011, BRA will add to the existing in-house and toll extraction capacity with a new and larger extraction facility - again, a facility that has been designed and developed in-house.
The high quality of the product is supported by a fully equipped NATA accredited laboratory.

Company History | BRA Staff | Ballarat Expansion | Production in Papua New Guinea