A key factor in the sustainability, productivity and profitability of horticultural industries is the ability to implement successful crop protection strategies. For this to occur growers need to access effective pest management technologies that comply with market and regulatory requirements. However, gaining and/or maintaining access to these technologies can be problematic for many horticultural industries with grower access impacted by government regulatory action, such, chemical reviews of older pesticides; registrant disinterest in developing new pesticides for horticultural markets; changes in pesticide maximum residue limits in export markets; and policy/legislative changes being proposed by State and Federal governments.

This project has sought to assist horticultural industries deal with these issues by providing technical and regulatory support to Hort Innovation and associated industries by seeking to identify and inform Hort Innovation and potentially affected industries of regulatory changes with the potential to impact crop protection product access. The aim has been to provide industries with the opportunity to consider potential impacts and to plan strategically to manage any potentially adverse outcomes, such as seeking regulatory approvals for alternatives.