Horticulture New Zealand supports action to improve access to plant health products

Horticulture New Zealand welcomes the Government’s pledge to reduce regulatory delays and improving growers’ access to essential plant health products.

The recently released Agricultural and Horticultural Products Regulatory Review highlights the persistent challenges in the approval process and provides recommendations to address them.

“Horticulture relies on innovation to maintain productivity and sustainability. However, unnecessary delays in product approvals have made this increasingly difficult for growers,” says HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott.

“New Zealand’s growers are grappling with pests such as tomato-potato psyllid, aphids and whiteflies, so timely access to the latest tools is essential to protect crops from these threats and ensure the ongoing success of the sector.

“We also need to be ready for the risk of new pests arriving from overseas such as brown marmorated stinkbugs.

“Streamlining the approval process is critical to ensuring growers can access the tools they need to combat these challenges and meet market demands.

“It is now crucial that these recommendations are implemented quickly, so growers see meaningful improvements on the ground. The focus must be on turning these policy changes into tangible benefits for the industry.”