Smart Farming Report Recommends Reforming Chemical Regulations, National Strategy for Gene Technology
Thursday 5 May 2016 @ 11.11 a.m. | Legal Research
The House of Representatives Agriculture and Industry Committee have released a report into agricultural innovation called “Smart Farming”. The report makes a number of recommendations, including reforming regulation around agricultural and veterinary chemicals, pursuing a nationally consistent strategy in the regulation of gene technology and developing regulations regarding the use of drones in the agricultural sector.
The report was commenced in August 2015, at the request of Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. Barnaby Joyce. Submissions were invited from governments and government bodies, researches and industry groups. The Committee also held 15 public hearings around Australia, including in regional centres.
In a media release, Committee Chair Rowan Ramsey MP said:
“It has been heartening for the Committee to witness the incredible innovation underway in the agricultural sector. There is exciting potential for farm businesses to draw on emerging technologies across a broad variety of disciplines in order to increase productivity and tackle challenges such as resource scarcity.”
Regulatory Recommendations
The Committee made five recommendations under the section of its report dedicated to regulatory reform:
Recommendation 12
The Committee recommends that the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources pursue legislative and regulatory changes to enable the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to use the decisions of trusted and comparable international regulators as a basis for product registration.
Recommendation 13
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Council of Australian Governments, pursue reform options to ensure national consistency in the regulation of gene technology.
Recommendation 14
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government commission an independent review of the implementation and effectiveness of the Gene Technology Agreement with particular reference to the impact of moratoria invoked by state and territory governments under the Recognition of Designated Areas Principle.
Recommendation 15
The Committee recommends that the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, in cooperation with Standards Australia, update the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce to introduce a threshold for approved genetically-modified material consistent with comparable international standards.
Recommendation 16
The Committee recommends that the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority develop appropriate extension materials promoting the appropriate use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Australian agricultural sector.
Recommendation 17
The Committee recommends that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority investigate regulations requiring unmanned aerial vehicles to be flown within visual line of sight, with a view to amending the regulations to enable agricultural producers to use such vehicles for monitoring purposes beyond line of sight on or over their own properties.
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