Focus Area: Crop Protection

• APVMA performance remains high and steady reaching minimum statutory requirement

  August 20, 2021 12:30 pm Comments Off on APVMA performance remains high and steady reaching minimum statutory requirement

  20 August 2021 (Canberra) – The overall performance of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has seen steady improvement over the past few years with numbers hitting a new high in the June 2021 quarterly performance statistics released today.

  Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, Mr Matthew Cossey said, “It is pleasing to see the overall performance of the APVMA continuing to improve, the regulator should be commended as this is essential for Australia’s farming sector.

  “Efficient performance by the APVMA is critical to Australian farmers getting timely access to the latest pest defences. This has ongoing importance for farming productivity, sustainability and the nation’s international agricultural exports through maintaining Australian farmers’ equal access to the new chemistry available to their international competitors.”

  While the performance has been enabled to some degree by significantly fewer applications to process compared to this time last year, the APVMA has made great strides at reducing backlogs and consistently achieving 99 per cent processing within statutory timeframes.

  Mr Cossey continued, “The APVMA must now focus on introducing step-changes in efficiency. One hundred per cent of on time assessments is the minimum statutory requirement for the regulator, not a target in and of itself. We need well-considered process and regulatory reform that doesn’t disrupt the regulator from doing its normal work, because farmers have suffered from major disruption to the APVMA previously.

  “Any future regulatory improvements must be targeted and industry-supported, building on the improvements the APVMA has already implemented while protecting the independent and science-based activities of the world-leading system.

  “In May 2020 – during some tough weeks in the COVID-19 pandemic – Minister Littleproud significantly increased the fees and levies charged by the regulator which ends up costing farmers more for these critical products. These substantial increases mean the APVMA is now well-resourced to introduce true efficiencies and deliver a real value proposition for the nation’s plant science and farming sectors.

  “What the APVMA does not need is an ill-considered and poorly planned additional layer of bureaucracy in the form of a $600,000 per annum governance board. It remains disappointing that the Government continues to ignore the advice of the industry and farming sector that will be most impacted by the board’s costs.”

  Mr Cossey concluded, “CropLife Australia and our members are committed to working constructively to assist and support the Regulator, the Department and Government to implement further efficiency measures that maintain the integrity and community confidence in the system and deliver better outcomes for Australian agriculture.”

  – ENDS
  Contact: Katherine Delbridge | 0410 491 261 | katherine.delbridge@croplife.org.au

• Agvet regulatory framework review misses the mark but not yet a missed opportunity

  July 2, 2021 4:12 pm Comments Off on Agvet regulatory framework review misses the mark but not yet a missed opportunity

  02 July 2021 (Canberra) – The final report of the review of Australia’s agricultural and veterinary chemical regulation framework released today contains 58 recommendations barely changed from those not supported by industry following the draft report.

  Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, Mr Matthew Cossey, said, “This review remains an opportunity to modernise the agricultural chemical regulatory system and deliver genuine efficiency gains to ensure Australia maintains a world-class scientifically and technically competent and efficient regulator.

  “It is disappointing that the final report has discounted the vast array of detailed, comprehensive feedback from industry and farming groups following the release of the draft report.

  “This now presents Minister Littleproud with a chance to consider in detail the industry’s well-considered critique of the recommendations before taking any further steps in this process.

  “We would invite the Minister to consider also removing the proposed APVMA governance board from a Bill currently before the Senate. Parts of this Bill to improve efficiencies of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority have been with Parliament since February 2018. They had bipartisan support and would have been passed if the Government hadn’t sought to amend its own Bill and add an unwanted and uncalled for $600,000 a year governance board that would end up being paid for by famers.

  “It would be ridiculous for the Government to embark on a new process of reform when no outcomes have been delivered from the Government’s own processes for the last five years.

  “The APVMA plays a crucial role in ensuring Australian farmers have access to safe, effective and modern crop protection products that enable them to farm more productively, profitably and sustainably. These products are also crucial for our nation’s environmental land managers combatting threats to our natural environment.

  “Simplistic proposals like commissioners and boards aren’t what’s needed. Incremental, measured and targeted changes are what is required to ensure stability for the regulator, which has only just returned to its minimum required performance after its relocation.

  “Getting this process right is what our farmers deserve to ensure they continue to have access to effective, sustainable and modern chemistry to assist their farming operations, which keep Australians fed and clothed and our export markets thriving.

  Mr Cossey concluded, “All CropLife member companies have worked tirelessly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the continued production and supply of critical crop protection and GM crop products during what has been such an important time for farming and food security and a challenging time for the nation. We will continue to actively participate in this review and hold high hopes for the leadership and constructive thinking the Minister will provide in seeing sensible reform delivered.”

  – ENDS
  
  Contact: Katherine Delbridge | 0410 491 261 | katherine.delbridge@croplife.org.au

• New guide released to inform about the importance of pesticides

  May 25, 2021 11:45 am Comments Off on New guide released to inform about the importance of pesticides

  CropLife Australia has released The official Australian reference guide for organic, synthetic and biological pesticides to ensure better informed and fact-based discussions about the regulation and essential role of pesticides in agriculture, environmental management and human health.

  Industry and farmer group representatives and academics were joined by several Parliamentarians for the launch on 18 March at an event at Parliament House as part of Science meets Parliament.

  Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, the Hon. David Littleproud MP, officially launched the Guide. CEO of Science and Technology Australia, Misha Schubert, also addressed attendees on the importance of effectively communicating science.

  CEO of CropLife Australia, Matthew Cossey, also spoke at the event on the importance of the community having a better understanding of the crucial importance of pesticides and on farming more broadly.

  Mr Cossey said, “The innovations of the plant science industry were at the centre of the Third Agricultural Revolution and it will again be the innovations of the plant science industry that will be at the core of the fourth agricultural Revolution.

  That is what Australia needs to achieve another leap in production and enable farming to become even more environmentally sustainable. Access to new modern pesticides is crucial for Australia to meet its food production goals and aspirations, protect the natural environment from invasive species and safeguard human health from disease-spreading pests and harmful crop and produce funguses.”

  In Australia, like the rest of the developed world, food has never been safer and never has there been such variety of produce available to consumers. Mr Cossey said now more than ever, there is peak interest in food amongst growing urban populations, however, it is correlating with a peak in ignorance of how food is produced and farming generally.

  “The world needs to produce as much food over the next 50 years as we have since the beginning of humanity, more than 30,000 years ago.

  That is a staggering challenge requiring a massive effort from the entire agricultural sector. Farmers will need access to all and every safe tool, product and innovation to do it, especially pesticides – be they organic, synthetic, or biologically based.”

  The Guide has been compiled using information and data from leading specialists here in Australia and around the world, with contributions and analysis from expert technical committees.

  Matthew Cossey concluded by saying, “Better informed and factbased discussion and public policy development are crucial for Australia to meet its food production goals. This Guide seeks to constructively contribute to that outcome. We need the broader community to have a better understanding of modern farming so they recognise what is great about it and don’t seek to dictate certain outcomes from a position of ignorance, that may indeed work against what the community actually wants from farming.”

  The official Australian reference guide for organic, synthetic and biological pesticides will help consumers understand the essential role pesticides play in not only agriculture but also in environmental conservation and human health.

• Fruits and vegetables take centre stage

  11:29 am Comments Off on Fruits and vegetables take centre stage

  The United Nations declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables to raise awareness of the nutritional and health benefits of fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

  The World Health Organization recommends consuming at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables each day. Fruit and vegetable consumption has been linked to benefits including improved growth and development in children; longer life span; better mental wellbeing; a healthy heart; lower risk of developing some cancers; lower obesity risk; lower diabetes risk; better gut health; and improved immunity.

  Globally we consume only about two-thirds of the daily recommended intake of fruit and vegetables. These numbers vary around the world due to a lack of availability, challenges in production, transport and trade, and high prices. These factors can make fruits and vegetables inaccessible to many, especially in developing countries.

  In Australia, fruit and vegetable consumption rates are alarmingly low despite having access to a bountiful supply.

  Half of Australian adults and two-thirds of children have an adequate daily intake of fruit and just seven per cent of Australian adults and five per cent of children are meeting the recommended guidelines for daily vegetable intake. The International Year of Fruits and Vegetables provides an opportunity for Australians to increase their consumption and reap the health benefits.

  A Deloitte Access Economics report released in 2018 estimates that up to $20.6 billion of Australian agricultural output (or 73 per cent of the total value of Australian crop production) can be directly attributed to the use of chemical crop protection products. Without pesticides the world would lose up to 50 per cent of crucial food crops, devastating global food supply.

  While the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables has a focus on fresh produce, it recognises processed forms of fruit and vegetables as important sources of income for farmers, a key part of diets for people unable to easily access fresh produce and a means to reduce food waste, another focus of the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.

  Food waste contributes around eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and can cause as much damage to our planet as plastic waste. Food is wasted for cosmetic reasons like size, shape or colour, by consumers who misunderstand “best before” labels and general overbuying. The waste reduction efforts of the United Nations and governments around the world have a strong ally in the plant science industry.

  As consumer demands for the “perfect” fruit and vegetables lead to half of all produce being thrown away, gene-edited products like Arctic Apples are being introduced. Developed using CSIRO technology by a Canadian company and now available to purchase in the US, these apples essentially eliminate browning and are therefore less likely to be thrown away, cutting food waste.

  Restaurants and hotels across the globe have taken notice of the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables with popular establishments like Canberra restaurant Monster Kitchen and Bar going vegetarian for the year.

  As part of a commitment to environmental sustainability the restaurant has said it will incorporate techniques from previous experiences to “showcase vegetables through a refined menu offering”, with fermenting and pickling to be prominent across the menu, as well as produce from the inhouse kitchen garden.

• Plant Science Industry welcomes continuation of Improved Access to Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals program

  May 12, 2021 11:36 am Comments Off on Plant Science Industry welcomes continuation of Improved Access to Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals program

  CropLife Australia welcomes the Morrison Government’s commitment to farming by extending the Improved Access to Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals program with a further $9 million over four years.

  Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, Mr Matthew Cossey, said, “This Budget commitment will continue to improve access to agricultural chemicals for minor uses and specialty crops.

  “The program has already seen 192 grants totalling $11.86 million which have resulted in 41 new permit uses and eight new label uses for minor use agvet chemicals. Minister Littleproud is to be congratulated for his commitment to the program.

  “This program is not only a win for agriculture but a win for taxpayers. As a recent ABARES report showed, the estimated average return for each dollar invested is $117, which totals at an average of $17 million per project.

  “Not only will a minor use program increase the productivity of Australian agriculture, but it also stands to enable more environmentally friendly pest management practices. Access to modern, target-specific chemicals can reduce the overuse of older, broader-spectrum chemicals. A minor use program also encourages more investment in developing these products.

  “As the cost of developing and registering crop protection products continues to increase, so too does the risk that the nation’s farmers will not have adequate access to essential tools and products to control pests, weeds and diseases. The small size of Australia’s crop protection product market on a global comparison means that the implementation of this initiative is vital so that Australian agriculture is assured access to the latest innovations from the plant science industry and their full range of uses.

  “The Access to Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals program will improve responsible and effective chemical product usage, while ensuring Australia’s farming sector is a world leader in environmentally friendly, sustainable, integrated pest management systems through available chemistry.”

  Mr Cossey concluded, “Never before in human history have so many people relied on so few to produce their food. Less than half of one per cent of Australia’s population produce essentially all the food, feed and fibre on behalf of the other 99.5 per cent of the population. As a nation and a global community, we have delegated the most important responsibility of being fed to a relatively small number of people. Australian farmers must be able to access the latest technologies and innovations to remain globally competitive and continue to produce safe, high-quality food, feed and fibre.”

• New guide released to inform about the importance of pesticides

  March 18, 2021 12:42 pm Comments Off on New guide released to inform about the importance of pesticides

  The national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, CropLife Australia, has today launched The official Australian reference guide for organic, synthetic and biological pesticides to ensure better informed and fact-based discussions about the regulation and essential role of pesticides in agriculture, environmental management and human health.

  Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, the Hon. David Littleproud MP, officially launched the Guide at an event at Parliament House as part of Science meets Parliament. CEO of Science and Technology Australia, Misha Schubert, addressed attendees on the importance of effectively communicating science and CEO of CropLife Australia, Matthew Cossey, outlined the Guide.

  Mr Cossey said, “The innovations of the plant science industry were at the centre of the Third Agricultural Revolution and it will again be the innovations of the plant science industry that will be at the core of the fourth agricultural revolution. That is what Australia needs to achieve another leap in production and enable farming to become even more environmentally sustainable. Access to new modern pesticides is crucial for Australia to meet its food production goals and aspirations, protect the natural environment from invasive species and safeguard human health from disease-spreading pests, and harmful crop and produce funguses.

  “The world needs to produce as much food over the next 50 years as we have since the beginning of humanity, more than 30,000 years ago. That is a staggering challenge requiring a massive effort from the entire agricultural sector. Farmers will need access to all and every safe tool, product and innovation to do it, especially pesticides – be they organic, synthetic, or biologically based.

  “In Australia, like the rest of the developed world, food has never been safer and never has there been such variety of produce available to consumers. Still, though, there exists a peak interest in food amongst growing urban populations which correlates with a peak ignorance in how food is produced and farming generally.

  “Pesticides have had a hugely positive impact on global food production yet there remains a serious lack of understanding about their safety and importance, not just to farming but to the protection and restoration of our natural environment and human health.

  “Without pesticides the world would lose up to 50 per cent of crucial food crops, devastating global food supply.

  “Australia’s agriculture sector continues to grow with confidence in the knowledge that advanced crop protection technologies will continue to successfully manage the dynamic, evolving and ever challenging pest risks that farmers face now and will face into the future”, Mr Cossey concluded.

  The audience of agriculture, science and industry leaders were joined by several Federal Parliamentarians and public policy specialists at the event.

  Download the Guide.

• The official Australian reference guide for organic, synthetic and biological pesticides

  10:45 am Comments Off on The official Australian reference guide for organic, synthetic and biological pesticides

• 2021-22 Pre-budget submission

  January 28, 2021 3:13 pm Comments Off on 2021-22 Pre-budget submission

• Draft report of agvet regulatory framework review provides opportunity to commence work for building next-generation regulator

  December 16, 2020 5:16 pm Comments Off on Draft report of agvet regulatory framework review provides opportunity to commence work for building next-generation regulator

  CropLife Australia welcomes the release of the draft report by the independent panel conducting the review of Australia’s agricultural and veterinary chemical regulation framework.

  Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, Mr Matthew Cossey, said, “This review provides an opportunity to modernise the agricultural chemical regulatory system, deliver genuine efficiency gains and ensure Australia maintains a world-class scientifically and technically competent regulator.

  “The APVMA plays a crucial role in ensuring Australian farmers have access to safe, effective and modern crop protection products that enable them to farm more productively, profitably and sustainably. These products are also crucial for our nation’s environmental land managers combatting threats to our natural environment.

  “Ensuring Australia’s complex regulatory framework is able to adapt to the fast pace of innovation in plant science is critical to enabling the APVMA to become a next generation regulator. The regulatory framework must be considered in its entirety to ensure changes are well considered and add real improvement. Australia’s farmers and the community need and deserve a world class regulator in this critically important area.

  “The plant science industry’s products directly underpin more than $20 billion a year of Australian farming production. That investment demands a world-class, independent, risk-based regulatory framework for crop protection chemicals, with a clear focus on user, consumer, and environmental safety.

  “This draft report goes some way in suggesting a range of reform initiatives and CropLife and our members will give consideration to the recommendations over the coming months ahead of a formal submission in response. Only recommendations that genuinely improve, strengthen and modernise the entire regulatory system will be supported by CropLife.

  “This reform process must deliver whole-of-industry benefits and be done in a measured way that doesn’t cause unnecessary disruption to the operations of the Regulator. On first reading there appear to be many good recommendations and suggested initiatives, however others look to be nothing more than increased layers of bureaucracy that will not go anywhere to addressing the core inefficiencies of the framework.

  Mr Cossey concluded, “The plant science industry will continue to constructively participate in this review to ensure that it can be used as the foundation of a genuine reform process.”

• Keeping the Barrier Reef great

  December 8, 2020 9:43 am Comments Off on Keeping the Barrier Reef great

  The Great Barrier Reef is a spectacular, fragile and important World Heritage Area contributing over $5 billion annually to the Australian economy.

  Recent inquiries examining the relationship that agricultural inputs such as pesticides have with the Reef,  highlights the importance of stewardship initiatives for agricultural chemical products.

  Stewardship programs ensure agricultural chemicals are being used responsibly and safely, and containers are recycled. This is important to avoid and minimise any off-target impacts on environments such as the Great Barrier Reef.

  The final report from the Senate Inquiry into the Identification of leading practices in ensuring evidence-based regulation of farm practices that impact water quality outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef, identifies leading examples by the agriculture industry and encourages other input sectors to take inspiration and lessons from the pesticide industry for the best way to achieve environmental outcomes.

  There is no question that crop protection products are crucial to modern integrated pest management techniques and systems used by farmers. Australian farmers need access to these innovations so they can continue to produce high-quality products that feed and clothe our nation, and meet our export responsibilities while protecting the health of users, consumers and the environment.

  As highlighted in the report, the detection of a pesticide in an environment does not necessarily mean that a chemical would be posing a risk to the environment. Rather, risk is a product of the level of exposure through a component’s concentration levels and duration of exposure.

  CropLife and our members have a long history of working with governments, growers and farmer groups to deliver training programs and formal stewardship initiatives to ensure best practice and focus on continual improvement when it comes to agricultural chemicals.

  Agsafe, CropLife’s wholly-owned training organisation, facilitates waste management recycling collection programs, drumMUSTER for empty product containers and ChemClear® for obsolete or unwanted chemicals.

  Across Australia these programs have collected and disposed of more than 36 million plastic chemical containers and 750,635 litres of obsolete or unwanted chemical. An impressive 38,000 tonnes have been recycled into re-usable products.

  Agsafe has worked closely with the Queensland Government during natural disasters such as flooding to minimise the impact these natural disasters have on the Reef and prevent unintended pollution of the Reef during these times.

  Global warming, and the climate change it drives, is the most serious and pervasive threat to the Reef. The updated Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan focuses on the recognition of the long-term systematic threat that climate change presents.

  As well as a commitment to reduce the state’s carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and achieve zero net emissions by 2050, the Queensland Government has set a goal to strengthen collaboration and engagement with the scientific research sector. This will drive evidence-based technology and innovative solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the Reef. Agricultural biotechnology is one of the tools governments must embrace to meet both these goals.

  GM traits in development will assist farmers to combat drought, soil acidity and/or salinity, as well as emergent diseases. GM sugarcane is being developed by Australian and international research organisations and companies, including the University of Queensland and the CSIRO. Once available, these varieties will help improve water use efficiency and yield, while also improving profitability and sustainability by reducing input costs, like pesticides, due to varieties being resistant to pests and diseases.

  Further support in this exciting field of research will ensure farmers have access to innovative new technologies for producing high-quality food, feed and fibre for Australia and the world while continuing to reduce the agricultural carbon footprint across the Reef catchment area.

  * ISAAA (2019): Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2018: Biotech Crops Continue to Help Meet the Challenges of Increased Population and Climate Change. ISAAA Brief No. 54.