This Government bill amends the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 to give effect to the recommendations of the Agricultural and Horticultural Products Regulatory Review that relate to that Act. It is still before Parliament.
A government bill that updates the 1997 law governing agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines — products such as farm chemicals, animal remedies and vaccines. It aims to speed up and simplify the approval process for new products, partly by relying more on assessments already done by trusted overseas regulators and by creating faster pathways for lower-risk items. It puts into effect recommendations from a government review of how these products are regulated.
The review was carried out by the Ministry for Regulation, and the bill was introduced by Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard. In practice it would move some approval timeframes into regulations, strengthen independent data assessors, and clarify application steps, while keeping safety checks in place. Supporters, including farming and horticulture groups, say quicker access to modern products boosts productivity; some critics caution that safety and environmental scrutiny must not be weakened.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.