Draft bill to reduce red tape for veterinary medicine in Victoria

Farmers in Victoria may benefit from reduced costs surrounding veterinary medicine and agricultural chemicals if a new draft bill is passed in parliament.

On Thursday December 19, Victoria State Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh released a statement outlining his support for the proposed legislation.

The bill, which will nullify the current requirement for farmers to renew and re-register agvet chemicals every seven to 15 years, is expected to save the industry up to $8 million annually. This requirement was originally introduced by the Labor government and, according to some, has added extra, unwanted cost to the farming community.

Mr Walsh said he believes risk management is important - but not at such a high cost.

"Victoria strongly supports an accountable risk-based assessment of chemicals but does not believe the current legislation delivers anything but cost to the industry," the minister stated.

"In order for our state's primary producers to increase their production levels and maximise trade access we need to have a chemical registration system based on evidence and risk."

The draft bill, although still in its early stages, proposes a system in which agvet chemicals will only be removed or reviewed if deemed high risk or unsafe.

"Review of registration should not automatically require a product to once again undergo a lengthy and costly process to prove it is still safe," Mr Walsh said.

"The consultation paper recognises that there are significant productivity and trade implications if a chemical is simply removed from use without viable alternatives. These considerations must be taken into account."

Those in the farming sector may wish to follow this draft bill closely as the outcome may contribute to reduced operational costs.

Another way to keep costs down and ensure the productivity of your business is to ensure you have a comprehensive farm insurance scheme in place.