Agcarm is seeking to simplify the regulatory process for registering agricultural chemicals and veterinary medicines by bringing them in to line with Australia.
We support harmonisation of Australian and New Zealand regulation because it will reduce the time and cost of bringing products to market, meaning lower prices for farmers and growers.
Regulators have harmonised Australian and New Zealand food standards, so harmonisation of agricultural compounds regulation should also be achievable. Though there has been some preliminary work on harmonisation and the New Zealand regulator appears supportive, progress has been slow.
A more efficient regulatory environment is particularly important given the changing nature of the business in New Zealand.
The industry is consolidating. Manufacturers, growers and retailers are merging and getting bigger. Competition among them is definitely much greater and there are increasing calls internationally for produce with low or nil residues.
While these market changes are positive, they do pose challenges for the industry in maintaining existing products and developing new products for key export crops.
