The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has released an interim permit for pesticide fenthion.
The APVMA banned the use of the fruit fly pesticide for peaches and apricots on October 16 with no notice.
The chemical can still be used on other crops.
The interim permit is for this growing season and has allowed very restricted use of the suspended insecticide on peaches and apricots.
After fenthion was suspended an industry organisation asked the APVMA to consider whether a single spray of fenthion would be acceptable.
"Industry advised that a single spray of fenthion would still be useful for growers when combined with other control options closer to harvest,'' APVMA executive director Raj Bhula said.
"The APVMA assessed that, with a single spray, peaches and apricots would have residues at safe levels after 21 days.
"After consideration of the data provided, we have issued an interim permit which allows growers to apply fenthion once this season to peach and apricot crops, and there must be 21 days between spraying and harvest.''
The permit applies from October 29 - April 30.
But Fruit Fly Action Group (HOIG) spokesman Brett DelSimone said a single application with such a long withholding period was no reprieve to growers.
"It's forcing us to use harsher chemicals,'' he said.
"They've put up clothianidin which is killing bees and had its permit issued on the back of just one laboratory trial.
"They've also offered trichlorfon, which is a listed in-vitro mutagen and a suspected carcinogen.
"There is also malathion, which breaks down 61 times more dangerously than its parent compound. But the APVMA see them fit for use.
"It's quite scary. They've just circumvented their whole process to remove fenthion, to say 'oh here you go, here's your shiny new product, which is a disaster waiting to happen.''
Last year apricot and peach growers were allowed two applications of fenthion, given 10 days apart.
"Fenthion generally gives you 10-14 day's protection and then you've got seven days unprotected, during which you need to use other products, then that harvest of that crop can take anywhere from 20-25 days, so you're talking nearly five weeks without protection,'' Mr DelSimone said.
"That's a lot of time for damage.”
Mr DelSimone said he took exception to the short notice growers were given prior to the announcement of the new restrictions.
"The APVMA promised us two weeks’ notice to review their dietary assessment and respond to it, but instead they called us in for a teleconference, sat us down, said this is how it's going to be, and made the announcement an hour later,'' he said.
"And what they have offered is really confusing.
"This is the fourth separate stance they've taken on fenthion in 13 months, which I don't see as conduct appropriate to some sort of safety regulator.''
