This project comprised two key parts:

A. The compilation and review of a Best Management Practices manual for the Storage

and Handling sector of the Australian cotton industry; and

B. The review and update of a Cotton Bale Load Restraint guide for the transport

industry.

These two documents provide concise and comprehensive guidelines for the transport and handling of cotton from the point where bales are loaded from the gin, to the point where they are loaded in the container, covering off on:

. industry requirements of efficiency, quality control, OH&S and environment/community requirements;

. statutory requirements with regards load stability and safety.

The project has also assisted in the delivery of load width exemptions for cotton bale transport in NSW and Queensland, thereby improving the efficiency and safety of bale transport. In tenns of labour, it is estimated that the ability to load 3 wide reduces the labour component by approximately 0.4 minutes per bale. Hence, in a 5 million bale crop, this equates to a saving of approximately 33,300 inari/machine hours (plus down time for transport operators), which conservativeIy would provide savings of $2.5-3 million for industry.

Future Work: The revised Cotton Bale Load Restraint Guide has, however, created some

efficiency concerns for transport operators and ginners, who have raised concerns that some

of the strapping requirements to meet statutory perfonnance based load stability standards

may be excessive. There may be further requirement to discuss and identify alternate

preferred load and strapping requirements with ginners and transport operators based on " " ificallali,edtodetemiineminimum

strapping requirement for each identified load configuration.

This work would require coordination between Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Cotton Australia, the Australian Cotton Ginners Association and the Australian Cotton Shippers Association.