Progress towards improved access to new crop protection tools:
Insect pests and fungal and bacterial diseases love to feast on the fantastic produce that Hawke’s Bay grows – but we can’t share our fruits and vegetables with every organism. Crop protection products remain an integral part of good agricultural practice to ensure high quality, clean fruit. Over the past decade, the availability of new crop protection products has been hindered by slow approval process through government agencies responsible for approving new use claims and novel compounds. Although robust scrutiny is important, it has been taking more than five years for approvals to be granted – and that is after several years of field and lab testing for efficacy, safety, and residues.
In February the Ministry of Regulation released their report on agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review that aimed to improve the approval process for crop protection products in New Zealand by enhancing efficiency within the agencies and manage associated risks appropriately. The review found that the current system is effective at managing risks to human animal, and plant health, trade, biosecurity, and the environment. However, the current system does not allow for efficient and timely assessment of new products and results in excessive delays and uncertainty. These delays and uncertainty increases regulatory costs for new product approvals which are ultimately absorbed by growers. At the core, there is room for improvement through improved resourcing and strategic alignment between the two main agencies – Agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines (ACVM) and the environmental protection agencies.
Overall, the review’s recommendations aim to create a more efficient, transparent, and responsive regulatory system, which will ultimately support the growth and sustainability of New Zealand’s fruit-growing industry. Growers are expected to benefit in several ways.
1. Timely access to new products. Improvements to the efficiency of the approval process should result in faster access to new products. This can improve management of pests and diseases, leading to better quality and yield.
2. Enhanced global competitiveness. As an export nation, faster access to new products will help NZ fruit growers stay competitive on the world stage.
3. Improved Risk Management. Through better use of international data, risks associated with crop protection products will be efficiently managed without imposing excessive burdens on growers.
4. Strategic guidance and engagement. By establishing a sector leaders forum, engagement between regulatory agencies and stakeholders should be improved so that industry concerns are addressed strategically.
In summary, there are plans afoot to improve the efficiency of the regulatory system for new crop protection products and new use claims for existing products. Hopefully growers will see the benefit in the near future once the recommendations are adopted. If you want a long read, you can access the full 119 page report or the 16 page summary at www.regulation.govt.nz
Author: Dr. Sean Gresham, AgFirst Consultants Hawke’s Bay. Ph. 0274736015,
e. sean.gresham@agfirst.co.nz
