New Zealand's Parliament has passed the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Amendment Bill by 101 votes to 21, one of the last laws before the pre-election cut-off, and farm industry groups have welcomed it, Farmers Weekly NZ reports.

The law aims to streamline approval of new crop protection products and animal treatments, cutting duplication and taking account of relevant international assessments, so that products already approved and used overseas reach New Zealand farmers and growers sooner. Delays have long been an industry complaint.

Dr Liz Shackleton, chief executive of Animal and Plant Health NZ (APHANZ), called the broad support reassuring and said the most positive feature is the link to international regulators' pathways. Her group's survey found 80% of member companies said New Zealand's delays had influenced their global research decisions; two-thirds had decided not to pursue label uses in the country partly because of cost and delay, and Bayer Crop Science withdrew its field research from New Zealand last year.

The larger and more complex Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Amendment Bill has yet to pass. Shackleton noted the timing alongside New Zealand's free trade agreement with India, which is due to be signed; significant quantities of crop and animal treatments are made in India, and some APHANZ members are based in Mumbai.

"The challenge will be, will it ultimately deliver the intent it was set up to deliver?" Shackleton said, calling for genuine consultation on the regulations after consultation windows of two to four weeks.

Photo: Philiproyds / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Source: Farmers Weekly NZ