Our second regulatory review will be of the approval process for agricultural and horticultural products. You can read Minister Seymour’s announcement here.
The scope of the review is likely to broadly consider products for use in agriculture. It will examine the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines, and the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms regulatory systems.
The review was selected because agriculture is the largest sector of New Zealand’s tradeable economy. Farmers and growers have regularly talked of how long, difficult and complex it is to get new products approved in New Zealand.
Given the size of the sector, even small improvements in productivity or the value of exports, or reductions in input costs, will have a national level impact on the economy.
The review will look across these regulatory systems, and focus on ensuring they are easier to navigate, and the regulations are doing what they need to, including managing risks to public health, workers, and the environment, while unlocking productivity and innovation.
Next steps
We are developing the terms of reference and timelines for the review. We will work closely with New Zealand Food Safety, Ministry for the Environment, and the Environmental Protection Agency. In general, we anticipate the review will take six months.
We will work with regulated parties – those who import, manufacture, or sell agricultural products – as well as the regulators and agencies responsible for these regulatory systems, and relevant interested groups and stakeholders.
