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Date:
6 December 2006
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Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill — First Reading

[Volume:636;Page:6993]

Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill

First Reading

  • Debate resumed from 5 December.

NATHAN GUY (National) : In concluding my call on the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill, I would like to draw the House’s attention to part of the explanatory note, and to also talk about the compliance costs around this amendment bill, because I believe that that is the crux of this whole bill. The bill will end up before the Primary Production Committee, and I think it will be critical for that committee to drill down into some of these compliance costs.

The concern I have is the duplication around the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority. When Minister Damien O’Connor said in the House last night that there would be no increase in compliance costs, it was interesting to hear the Minister of Finance, Michael Cullen, say: “Yeah, right!”, like the Tui billboard. But the important thing to realise, which is stated in the explanatory note, is: “It is not possible to estimate the monetary value of compliance costs associated with the proposed regulatory changes.” I think that that is an important issue. In particular, for those businesses that will be transporting some of these products up and down the country, there will be added costs in consultation and in filling out forms. It is interesting that it will cost $85 to have those registered to each individual person, and that there will be a cost of $85 per hour.

So National is supporting this bill to go to the select committee, but we have some concerns, particularly around compliance costs. I believe that that is where it will be extremely important for the select committee to iron those costs out and try to get a handle on exactly how much they will be. The important thing is that the people paying the costs will be the likes of farmers in New Zealand, the grassroots people. Vegfed and the wine industry will also pick up any increasing costs around this amendment bill. So National is supporting the bill to go to the select committee, but we do have some concerns.

  • Bill read a first time.
  • Bill referred to the Primary Production Committee.referred to Primary Production Committee