Red tape 'blocking access to crop production products'

Writing in HortNZ’s weekly newsletter, Tunley says growers are concerned that the approaches the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and NZ Food Safety (NZFS) are taking to approve crop protection products is leaving the sector vulnerable with few options to manage pests, diseases and weeds in an increasingly challenging environment.

Tunley, who leaves HortNZ at the end of next month, points out that growers are working hard to use more environmentally friendly approaches, including integrated pest management (IPM). The A Lighter Touch (ALT) programme, supported by HortNZ, is funding extensive demonstrations with the aim of transitioning from agrichemical pest management to agroecological crop protection.

“Ironically, the complex regulatory approval processes and EPA’s backlog of applications are preventing growers from accessing products that are more environmentally friendly and sustainable with lesser environmental impacts,” says Tunley.

“Crop protection products are vital to horticulture production especially in the more volatile climate environment we now live in.”

She notes that without crop protection products, horticulture would lose 75% of the value of its crops. Vegetable growers would incur losses of about 88% of the value of vegetable crops – 80% of vegetables in New Zealand are grown for domestic supply.

“New Zealanders food security, as well as our economy, is dependent on the crop protection product regulatory system working well,” she says.

Tunley says when she’s out and about talking with growers, access to the right crop protection products to help them grow fruit and vegetables free of pests and diseases is one of the key issues raised.

“The costly and lengthy regulatory approval process to get new products registered for use in horticulture has been a huge drag on our ambitions to double the farmgate value of our industry by 2035,” she says.

Tunley claims the EPA is currently grappling with a significant backlog of applications stuck in the regulatory process for new products designed to control pests and diseases in the most sustainable ways.

“A recent Sapere review estimated that if the EPA halted all other assessment activity and stopped taking applications, it would still take them 2-4 years to clear their current backlog.

“HortNZ and our partners across the supply chain, such as Animal Plant and Health New Zealand, have been advocating for changes to the process for some time.”

Tunley says it was great to see the Government announce at the Fieldays that the Ministry for Regulation will review the complex approval processes for new agricultural and horticultural products under the EPA and New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS).

The Ministry for Regulation is developing terms of reference and timetable for the review.

Regulation Minister David Seymour says red tape stops farmers and growers from getting access to products that have been approved by other OECD countries.

“It can take nine years and wrangling government agencies to get approval here,” says Seymour.  

  “Farmers overseas are using innovative technologies that we don’t have access to that make animals emit less methane, make fruit and vegetable plants grow faster, and control pests and diseases with less environmental harm.

  “If we don’t remove these barriers to productivity, we will fall behind our global competitors when we need to grow the economy through trade.”

Tunley says the HortNZ team is looking forward to providing advice and expertise to the review led by the Ministry for Regulation.

“The outcome we are seeking is ensuring regulatory interpretations of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act and the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act are not creating unnecessary or unsubstantiated barriers to horticulture’s success,” says Tunley.

“These Acts need to enable growers access to new tools so they can produce healthy fruit and vegetables for New Zealanders and achieve the Government’s vision of doubling export.”