Extra resources welcome, but real change needed

Animal and Plant Health NZ welcomes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intent to recruit more staff to process new agricultural and horticultural product applications, but says its members believe more fundamental action is required.

Liz Shackleton.

“The backlog of approvals and lengthy timeframes for new product applications are disadvantaging our farmers and growers,” says Animal and Plant Health NZ chief executive Dr Liz Shackleton.

EPA last month announced it is recruiting additional frontline staff and making other improvements.

“We acknowledge and appreciate EPA’s efforts to recruit, while noting the most complex applications in the queue (Category C) rely on highly specialist eco/toxicologist resource to process them, and these specialists are few and in high demand globally,” says Shackleton.

“Members’ reservations are that it will take significant time to see real impact. 

“This is especially true for products that have already been sitting in the queue for years after applications have been lodged and then reported as formally received.

“Deciding a similar number of applications to new applications lodged, while positive, does not make headway with the backlog, so more is needed.”

EPA hopes to see a ‘material impact’ on the hazardous substance applications queue about 12 to 18 months after new staff are recruited, and recruitment was likely to begin last month. 

Shackleton says the current situation reinforces the importance of the Ministry of Regulation’s independent review of the whole process, the legislation, the targets and reporting behind it. 

A dozen primary sector and business leaders have called for strengthened governance, accountability and legislative settings to ensure risk balance and predictable timeframes.

“The sector sees the need for a more balanced risk mindset, where the current precautionary ‘say no’ approach is balanced with saying ‘yes’ to innovation that supports growth and improves sustainability and trade outcomes.”

Animal and Plant Health NZ members welcome EPA’s intention stated in its media release to improve communication and transparency, which it believes requires more than an occasional exchange of letters, she says.

“EPA says it is planning to create a prioritisation framework and members would welcome more details about how it proposes to involve them and the users of products in developing that framework.

“We look forward to hearing back from EPA on the invitations to connect and solutions that we have proposed to them over the past two years.”

These include an independent strategic forum, with terms of reference and with a ministerial appointed independent chair to provide for genuine engagement on priorities and related matters.

They also include a group standard for trial products, for example lower risk trials run to international standards, and away from environmentally sensitive areas.

“We understand Cabinet is considering the recommendations of the review this month,” Shackleton says. 

“We urge ministers to look beyond resourcing and deliver real change.”