The agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review will identify opportunities where farmers and growers could have improved access to new agricultural and horticultural products in a timely manner, while maintaining an appropriate balance between access to these products and managing risk.
Farmers and growers use a range of different agricultural and horticultural products in their businesses, including feeds, fertilisers, veterinary medicines, pesticides, and environmental inhibitors.
These products support horticultural and farming productivity, boost our agricultural and horticultural exports, and help protect against pests.
Timely access to newer and improved products is important to maintain our competitiveness and to stay ahead of any developing resistance.
New agricultural and horticultural products can pose both opportunities and a range of risks, including some that are unique to our environment and primary production systems.
Risks could include residues in food that might have detrimental impacts on human and animal health, our agricultural and horticultural exports, and the environment.
To manage these risks, agricultural products are approved under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997, and if the products are hazardous substances or new organisms, they also require approval under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996.
Scope of the review
The Ministry for Regulation is seeking to assess whether the current approval path is maintaining an appropriate balance between access to these products and managing risk.
During the review, we will look to understand:
- Why does government intervene in the regulation of these products?
- What are the costs and benefits of regulation, and the distribution of those across different parties? and
- How the regulations are working, including compared to equivalent regimes in other countries.
We encourage you to read the review’s Terms of Reference.
The terms of reference outline the scope and approach to the review, including the milestones.
Engagement and consultation
Feedback through our engagement hub on the regulatory review into agricultural and horticultural products is now closed. Thank you to everybody who took time to provide us with feedback.
The Ministry is now analysing written submissions and information from direct engagement. We will test recommendations and findings through a sector reference group and tailored meetings with other groups and government agencies.
The Ministry will provide a report to the Minister for Regulation, Minister for the Environment, and the Minister for Food Safety, followed by a Cabinet paper seeking decisions on any recommendations and next steps.
Agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review – economic analysis issues paper
As part of our work to understand why and how New Zealand currently regulates agriculture and horticulture products, we have produced an economic analysis issues paper that sets out how the Ministry is going to approach economic analysis for the Review.
AgHort Products Regulatory Review economic issues paper
The paper explores a range of issues and questions for interested people to consider around: Market Definition, Risks, Market Failure, Policy Options and Costs and Benefits.
Timeframe and outputs
We will provide a report to the Minister for Regulation, Minister for the Environment, and the Minister for Food Safety, followed by a Cabinet paper seeking decisions on any recommendations and next steps.
Timeline
| 1 August to 08 September 2024 | September to November 2024 | December 2024 | February 2025 |
| Submissions and engagement process | Substantive analysis, including of submissions and engagement | Draft report | Cabinet paper |
Note this timeline is subject to change.
More information
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Why is the approval path for agricultural and horticultural products the subject of a regulatory review?
Together, agriculture and horticulture are the largest sector of New Zealand’s tradeable economy.
Given the size of the sector, even small improvements in productivity or the value of exports, or reductions in input costs, could have an impact on the economy at a national level.Farmers and growers need to stay competitive to increase our exports and maintain prosperous rural communities.
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What will the review do?
The review will seek to understand what the issues with the current approval path are for those impacted by the regulations and explore what can be done to address those.
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How long will the review take?
The Ministry for Regulation expects the review to finish within six months after it starts.
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Does this regulatory review have a terms of reference?
Yes, the Terms of Reference are available on our website.
Agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review: Terms of Reference
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Who is leading the review?
The Ministry for Regulation will lead the review, with the Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Food Safety, the Ministry for the Environment, and the Environmental Protection Authority expected to support the review and will work closely with the review team.
The review will, in the first instance, be guided by those impacted by the regulations and their feedback, and will draw on existing research, both domestic and international.
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How can people engage with regulatory reviews?
Each regulatory review will be developed with an appropriate engagement plan, which will consider relevant audiences and stakeholders. Individuals and organisations affected by specific rules and regulations will have the opportunity to engage in the process. Further information about regulatory reviews can be found on this website.
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How will the Ministry for Regulation ensure voices of all impacted people and organisations are heard in this regulatory review?
We’ll use a range of engagement methods to gather information for the review, including face to face and online meetings to ensure that those who wish to contribute to the review will have an opportunity to do so. We invited submissions on our engagement hub as part of the review process. The written submission process through the engagement platform closed on 09 September 2024.
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How will this regulatory review make a difference to farmers and growers?
The review will identify opportunities where farmers and growers could have improved access to new agricultural and horticultural products in a timely manner, while maintaining an appropriate balance between access to these products and managing risk.
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Will the review scrutinise specific applications, or the actions of individual staff members of the regulators?
No. The review will look at the broader regulatory system - the regulatory design, roles, and practices of the sector. Our aim is to ensure that the regulatory framework is achieving the right outcomes, and where necessary, make recommendations for improvements.
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Will any information that is provided from the sector to the review be shared with New Zealand Food Safety or the Environmental Protection Authority?
The Ministry for Regulation does not intend to proactively share any information we receive from written submission with the regulators. If this is required, all identifiable information (names, addresses, trading name, contact details) will be removed before any information is shared.
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What products will be in scope for the review?
We intend the review to broadly consider the range of agricultural and horticultural products that are currently subject to regulation under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997. This would include feed, fertilisers, veterinary medicines, and environmental inhibitors. The scope for the review is set out in the terms of reference.
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How will this review fit alongside reform of genetic technology?
This review will not cover gene technology which will be done separately. This review would be expected to sit alongside any work planned there and connect in at any appropriate points.
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Are agricultural and horticultural products that involve genetic modification in scope?
Some agricultural products, for example some vaccines, involve genetic modification. As such, they may be regulated under both the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 (as a veterinary medicine) and under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (as a new organism). While we would consider the products in scope of this review, the regulation of gene technology is out of scope for this review.
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How will the Ministry for Regulation determine which other sectors to review?
We are starting to assess and prioritise future regulatory reviews. There is significant interest from a range of sectors and the Ministry welcomes input and feedback about where our regulatory systems are causing the greatest unnecessary costs. The Ministry will focus on regulatory issues of national significance, which are cross-cutting and will have an impact at the system level.