New Zealand’s economy depends on a productive and profitable primary sector. 

Our farmers and growers are facing big challenges such as climate change, emerging biosecurity threats, productivity, doubling export value and market access.

Our primary sector needs rapid access to new tools to tackle these challenges – such as vaccines and treatments for emerging diseases, new and improved crop protection treatments, and innovative developments like methane inhibitors.

But there are problems getting these products through the approval process - long timelines, inconsistent requirements, and lack of predictability. There is a significant backlog of applications. As at June 2024 the Environmental Protection Agency reported   121 applications for release in the queue  (EPA  quarterly report). A recent report estimated it would take two to four years to clear the queue, assuming there were no new applications. This report shows approvals are taking about three times longer than they were 10 years ago (Sapere report).

Over ten years the impact of a one-year delay could be between $7 million and $70 million in contribution to GDP. (NZIER)

New Zealand’s competitors are already using safer, more effective, less hazardous and lower residue products that are not available here.

These innovative new products don’t belong in a queue, they belong in the hands of our pioneering farmers and growers, and our biosecurity and conservation personnel.