Thursday, 1 August 2024, 1:09 pm
Press Release: science media center
The Government has confirmed it will review the
regulations around how agricultural and horticultural
products are given the green tick for usage in Aotearoa,
following the approval of the review’s terms of
reference.
The newly announced review will
focus on the approvals needed for products like pesticides,
inhibitors, feed, fertilisers, and veterinary medicines. The
review will not look at the regulation of gene
technology.
Public
feedback on the review opened this morning.
The
SMC asked experts to comment.
Dr Richard Newcomb,
Chief Scientist, Plant & Food Research,
comments:
“Many of our agricultural industries are
in the midst of a transition from chemical solutions for
plant nutrition (fertilisers) and as controls for pest and
diseases (pesticides) to more biological solutions. These
new biological products offer a more sustainable, softer
approach to these issues. They will also be required as
levels of chemical residues on products restrict access to
markets for our goods.
“Europe’s Green Deal is a
good example of policy driving this transition, with targets
that hope to halve the use of chemical pesticides in the EU
by 2030. While we can develop some of our own biological
solutions here in New Zealand (eg AureoGold developed by
Plant & Food Research), many are being developed
overseas and will need to be imported and registered for use
in New Zealand. Making sure our regulatory pathway is fit
for purpose is vital in protecting our unique ecosystems
from harm, while ensuring we have the best tools available
to grow food sustainably.”
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Conflict of interest
statement: Plant & Food Research conducts research in
this area, and develops biological solutions that would need
regulatory approval.
Melanie Kah, Associate
Professor, School of Environment, University of Auckland,
comments:
“The announcement of a regulatory review
into agricultural and horticultural products is great news!
It has been highlighted many times that our risk assessment
framework is outdated and that the separation of different
aspects between different government agencies makes it
relatively inefficient (e.g. see the report by the
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment published in
March 2022).
“It is good to see that the specific
aspect of re-assessment will be considered as it is
currently problematic. For instance, the authorisation of
pesticides currently has no expiry date in New Zealand,
which is quite unusual. This means a substance remains on
the market unless it is re-assessed and phased out. In most
other countries, the authorisation to place a chemical on
the market is given for a fixed period, after which the
chemical is automatically phased out unless companies apply
for a new authorisation. This explains why we still have on
our market substances that were phased out in other
countries a long time ago. Our resources are very limited,
and they would be more efficiently used in considering novel
solutions rather than phasing out old
chemistry.
“The review will hopefully create
pathways to integrate the work currently conducted by
different agencies and allow more holistic risk assessments
that consider both human and environmental health together,
rather than separately. It will hopefully also allow
pathways for novel substances that currently do not fit well
in the current framework (e.g. biopesticides,
nanopesticides) and that may be less hazardous than
currently used products. Biopesticides include natural
substances (biochemical pesticides) and microorganisms that
control pests (microbial pesticides). Nanopesticides are
designed at the very small scale (nanoscale) to improve the
properties of existing or novel pesticides.
“I hope
this review will also be an opportunity to consider the
latest developments in regulatory science, including
next-generation risk assessment approaches that are
discussed overseas and that allow a more scientific approach
to risk assessment as opposed to a box-ticking
exercise.”
Conflict of interest statement:
Principal investigator of a scientific project funded by the
Royal Society on “Building the foundation to improve the
risk assessment of pesticides in Aotearoa/New
Zealand”
Dr Axel Heiser, Chief Scientist,
AgResearch, comments:
“As leaders in agricultural
research, AgResearch recognises the need to periodically
reassess regulatory frameworks.
“Scientific and
technological advancements are continually providing new
methods for better predicting, analysing, and mitigating
risks. This review offers an opportunity to integrate these
innovations, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of risk
assessments.
“Market access is crucial for New
Zealand’s agricultural economy. Farmers and growers depend
on timely access to safe, effective solutions to remain
competitive and meet the standards of domestic and
international markets. Ensuring our regulatory systems are
robust and efficient is key to maintaining our position as a
leading exporter of agricultural products.”
No
conflicts of
interest.
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