Greater co-operation with other countries over assessing new agricultural products is worth investigating, Federated Farmers says.
“It’s taking too long and costing too much to get approval for agrichemicals and other products already in use in other OECD countries,” Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett says.
“If advanced countries we trade with, like Australia, have already carried out rigorous scientific assessments and found the products to be safe for humans, animals and the environment, it’s a waste for New Zealand to repeat the same processes.”
Birkett says there will be some cases where separate assessment by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), NZ Food Safety, MPI or another agency is warranted.
“That could be if there are ramifications for our native flora or fauna, or if New Zealand-specific conditions need more investigation.
“But outside these sorts of circumstances, systems could be put in place to share knowledge, prune costs and delays, and still maintain very robust assurance on product safety,” Birkett says.
Regulation Minister David Seymour last month announced a regulatory sector review of the approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products, saying it can take as long as nine years by our agencies to clear an application.
Birkett says farmers are being pushed to excel on biosecurity control, climate change and production fronts, but red tape and inefficiency means accessing the tools they need to meet these challenges is far too slow.
“As Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard noted at the review announcement, if our aim is to further increase primary product export revenue, it’s essential we iron out unnecessary regulatory overlap, costs and hold-ups.”
Fall armyworm controls and the methane-inhibiting feed additive Bovaer are just two examples of products approved overseas but denied to New Zealand farmers.
“Fall armyworm, an insect pest that can ravage more than 300 plant species, especially maize and sweetcorn, was able to establish and spread here more readily because approval for recognised control treatments was too slow,” Birkett says.
“The armyworm is developing resistance to the limited treatment options available.”
Bovaer is approved as safe for animals, farmers and consumers in more than 55 countries, including the EU, Australia, Canada and Switzerland.
Its maker, Royal DSM, applied for approval from the EPA for 3-NOP, Bovaer’s active ingredient, in February 2021.
Despite its clearance for use overseas, DSM’s application to import and manufacture 3-NOP here wasn’t granted until August 2023.
“Kiwi farmers still can’t use it,” Birkett says.
“MPI needs to assess such things as its efficacy, animal welfare impact and trade ramifications. DSM have yet to apply for that.
“Perhaps the company is also put off by the delays and expense wrapped up in our processes.”
Last year the EPA commissioned Australasian firm Sapere to independently report on New Zealand’s assessment processes and investment.
On a per capital basis, and taking into account factors like GDP and the size of primary and manufacturing sectors, Sapere found New Zealand spends a quarter of what Australia and the UK spend on hazardous substance assessments.
Sapere also noted lengthening assessment timeframes, low decision volumes, and a reliance on outdated models.
Since February 2020 the EPA has received an average of 10 assessment applications each month but has averaged only eight assessment decisions, meaning a growing number of applications have been added to a ‘pre-application’ queue.
“Based on the number of assessments completed since 2020, we estimate that if the EPA was to drop all its current assessments and stop accepting any new applications, it would take between two to four years of work simply to clear the applications in this queue,” Sapere’s report said.
Dr Liz Shackleton, CEO for Animal & Plant Health NZ, said there also appears to be a preoccupation at the EPA with re-assessing existing, older-type chemicals over new products.
“There is four times more resources allocated to re-assessing existing substances, versus approving new substances,” she told Farmers Weekly in April.
Birkett says the review announcement is timely and very welcome.
“Federated Farmers have been pushing for change on this front for some time.
“We’re really pleased the Government is going to look into it, and we expect faster application timeframes to come out of it.”
Federated Farmers, New Zealand’s leading independent rural advocacy organisation, has established a news and insights partnership with AgriHQ, the country’s leading rural publisher, to give the farmers of New Zealand a more informed, united and stronger voice. Federated Farmers news and commentary appears each week in its own section of the Farmers Weekly print edition and online.
