Months after the Government pledged to cut red tape and speed up access to new agricultural products, farmers say little has changed with vital tools still tied up in a lengthy approval process.
Growers across Auckland’s Pukekohe said they were running out of options to keep crops healthy and pest-free, as delays continue at New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
“It’s been quite a slow, laborious process to get new products through the EPA,” said Pukekohe grower Simon Wilcox, whose family company supplies potatoes to major retailers.
Back in February, ministers accepted 16 recommendations designed to halve approval times, cut costs, and speed up access to new fertilisers and pest controls.
Animal and Plant Health New Zealand chief executive Dr Liz Shackleton said some companies were losing confidence in the system. (Source: 1News)
Regulation Minister David Seymour said progress was being made.
“You can certainly find farmers who say it hasn’t solved their problem,” Seymour said.
“But equally for the many new products we have approved, they’re probably not coming to the media complaining.”
Industry warns of lost investment
Animal and Plant Health New Zealand chief executive Dr Liz Shackleton said some companies were losing confidence in the system.
“Companies have already started exiting research and development in New Zealand, and that is deeply concerning,” she said. “We’ve got a great roadmap for change, but results for these companies and for our farmers will speak louder than words.”
Shackleton’s group was calling for three immediate fixes that would not require any law changes.
These included using trusted overseas data to fast-track products already approved in countries such as Australia, prioritising new safer, more sustainable products rather than re-approving older chemicals and fixing what could be done now with clearer targets, quicker low-risk pathways, and more assessors to speed up decisions.
Agriculture and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard said all three areas are being worked on, but admits the pace isn’t fast enough.
“The expectation is that we need to move faster on this stuff,” he said.
Environment Minister Penny Simmonds said 13 new scientists have been hired at the EPA and $10 million invested in updating its risk-assessment model, cutting queues by about 21% so far.
“That’s a ten-million-dollar process, updating the models to give greater transparency and better assessment of how chemicals react in New Zealand,” she said.
A new Agri-Hort Bill, aimed at modernising the system, was expected to reach Parliament by August, but was still being drafted.
Wilcox said farmers were happy it was a step in the right direction – but also wanted to see results.
“We need to see some rubber hit the road, and we need to see some quick wins.”
