1 February 2019
CropLife Australia welcomes the Senate Inquiry report that confirms the APVMA’s status as a world-leading regulator whose decisions are based strictly on science and evidence, free from industry influence.
Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, said, “The inquiry was established following sensationalised and baseless media reporting without any scientific foundation. However, the weight of evidence presented to the Committee has confirmed why the community should have confidence in the decisions of the APVMA.
“It’s disappointing that some organisations that sought to perpetuate that misunderstanding weren’t even bothered to make a submission to the inquiry – but this is understandable considering they had no evidence to back their position.”
Mr Cossey continued, “Before any agricultural chemical product can be sold or manufactured in Australia, it goes through rigorous scientific assessment by the APVMA. They assess the safety and expected use of the product. The Senate Inquiry confirms this.
“It’s somewhat perplexing that those who nominally argue for the APVMA to be independent then also seek to direct them to undertake unnecessary reviews. This highlights that they simply seek to serve a narrow political agenda and do not support independent, evidence based regulatory decisions.”
Mr Cossey concluded, “User and consumer safety is CropLife and our member companies’ top priority regarding agricultural chemical products. The Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee’s report has shown that the APVMA’s regulatory processes are sound and their decisions can be trusted.”