AUSTRALIA’S pesticides and veterinary medicine regulator has reported improvements in its application assessment performance for the 2019-20 financial year.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority said it has finished 2019-20 year with continued strong performance, demonstrating further improvements in the on-time assessment of agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemical products.

Statistics released for the June quarter 2020 show the APVMA completed 2963 product, active and permit applications in 2019-20, finalising 89 percent within legislative timeframes, ahead of the 85pc recorded in 2018-19.

This included considerable improvement in the on-time assessment of veterinary medicine applications, increasing from 81pc in 2018-19 to 89 per cent in 2019-20, the APVMA said.

The APVMA’s rate of pesticide applications completed within timeframe also increased, from 85pc in 2018-19 to 93pc in 2019-20.

APVMA acting chief executive officer, Lisa Croft, said the authority’s continued strong performance throughout 2019-20 reflected the dedication of APVMA staff to improve regulatory performance and streamline risk assessment and decision making processes.

“We’ve demonstrated another quarter and another year of improved performance, despite the interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The tireless work of APVMA staff has resulted in the on-time approval of numerous products and new uses for existing products, which will support Australia’s agricultural productivity, improve animal health, and provide consumers with more options for agvet chemical products that are safe and effective to use,” Ms Croft said.

The APVMA said its focus in 2020-21 is to further improve the timeliness of its regulatory decisions, while ensuring the assessment of agvet chemical products continues to meet the highest of scientific quality standards.

View the June 2020 performance report.