In July 2025, AUSVEG teamed up with Hort Innovation to kick off a five-year mission to keep Australian growers connected to the crop protection tools they need. The National Agrichemical Management Program is backed by the vegetable, onion and potato R&D levies with matched funding from the Australian Government. While the long-term goal is always to secure full product registrations, the reality is that regulatory approvals take time and money. For many smaller industries, permits remain the only practical pathway to keeping essential chemistry on farm.

Product registrants often hesitate to invest in Australian data packages when the commercial return is limited. That leaves many niche pest challenges without a viable solution. This is where Australia’s permit system shines. It provides a flexible, science-based pathway for growers to access the right tools at the right time, whether through minor use, emergency use or research permits.

In this article, we focus on minor and emergency use permits, how the system works, and the wins the program has delivered over the past six months.

Cracking the minor use challenge

The first test for any minor use permit is proving to the APVMA that the proposed use is, in fact, minor. For genuinely small-volume crops like brussels sprouts or spring onions, this is usually smooth sailing. But for major crops, the bar is much higher. We must show that the use pattern is limited in scope and not something likely to be applied across the entire country. That often means demonstrating that a pest, weed or disease is restricted to a specific region or state.

And yes, it gets tricky when growers nationwide are asking for access to the same chemistry. At that point, it becomes much harder to argue that the use is minor.

In 2024, the APVMA introduced a new minor use guideline that considers both the national value of the crop and the number of hectares likely to be treated. In practice, minor use is only feasible when the treated area is under 1,000 hectares. Larger industries such as carrots, onions, potatoes, cucurbits and brassicas rarely fall within that boundary. This is why it is so important to set realistic expectations about what the minor use system can deliver. Even renewing long-held permits is becoming more demanding as the APVMA puts every application under increasingly detailed scrutiny.

When things get urgent

Emergency use permits are the fast-track option, but they tend to be used sparingly and only when there is no other viable control. They come into play during genuine emergencies such as exotic pest incursions, sudden blowouts in pest distribution, the unexpected withdrawal of a key chemistry from the market, or when existing tools pose residue risks for export markets. When things change fast, emergency permits are often the only way to keep production moving safely.

Understanding the APVMA’s role

It is important that stakeholders understand what the APVMA is – and what it is not. The APVMA is a risk-assessment agency. Its mandate is to evaluate whether agvet chemicals are safe, effective and genuinely needed. It must also periodically review existing products against modern standards. A significant number of chemicals are currently under review, with many more on the horizon, and around half of these have direct consequences for vegetable, onion and potato growers.

What the APVMA does not do is identify replacement products when a chemical is withdrawn. That responsibility rests with industry. Whether we are seeking a permit or a label extension, it is up to us to provide the scientific evidence to meet the APVMA’s three key criteria:

• is there a genuine need?
• is the product safe?
• is it effective?

That often means generating new residue or efficacy data through field trials. Sometimes published literature helps, but more often than not we hit a dead end, especially when registrants have little commercial incentive to invest in research for marginal uses.

Why permits matter more than ever

Given these challenges, off-label permits have become a permanent and essential feature of Australian horticulture. Hort Innovation currently holds around 400 permits on behalf of industry, with more than half supporting vegetable, onion and potato growers. Maintaining this portfolio requires constant work, particularly as the APVMA’s expectations at renewal continue to rise. Renewal is never automatic. Each one is effectively a new business case.

Over the past six months, AUSVEG has worked shoulder to shoulder with Hort Innovation to renew permits critical to the growers we represent. We have progressed 47 minor use permits, successfully renewed 29, transitioned two to full label claims, and continue to advance the remaining 18.

A standout achievement this year has been our collaboration with Biosecurity Tasmania to secure an emergency use permit for fluazinam in that state as an in-furrow treatment for powdery scab, the vector of Potato mop-top virus. This was a welcome news for Tasmanian potato growers and a clear demonstration of the program’s impact.

Driving forward together

These outcomes highlight the importance of the National Agrichemical Management Program and show how effective collaboration between industry and government can deliver real results. Without AUSVEG’s continued drive to keep momentum high, many of these outcomes simply would not have been achieved.

We will keep pushing hard on behalf of the sector, but we cannot do it alone. AUSVEG regularly seeks industry input when permits are up for renewal, and your feedback on need and scale of use is essential. We encourage all growers, agronomists and supply-chain partners to stay engaged, share insights and help us keep the permit system working for horticulture.

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For more information or to get involved, contact david.daniels@ausveg.com.au