Next steps - Agricultural and Horticultural Products Regulatory Review

The Government has announced the next steps to further implement the recommendations from the Ministry for Regulation’s Agricultural and Horticultural Products Regulatory Review.

In February, Cabinet accepted all of the Ministry for Regulation’s 16 recommendations to improve the agriculture and horticulture product approval pathway.

The changes will speed up the application process, make it clearer and more transparent, and ensure the work of international regulators is maximised.

It is estimated that reducing the current approval times for new products by half could generate benefits of about $272 million over 20 years.

Joint Ministers will be responsible for progressing an Omnibus Bill to provide legislative support and accelerate improvements.

The Review ran from August to December 2024 and looked at approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products. It was triggered by concern that long wait times for farmers and growers wanting to use these products was impacting New Zealand’s international competitiveness.

More information

Read more about the Review, including full and summary reports:

Agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review | Ministry for Regulation

Farmers and growers to reap rewards | Ministerial press release open_in_new