The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has released its Corporate Plan 2026–30, setting out how the agency will deliver the priorities of the APVMA Strategic Plan 2025–30 over the next 4 years.
The Corporate Plan outlines how the APVMA will deliver on the 5 strategic objectives established in the Strategic Plan:
- Being a trusted, transparent and fair regulator
- Supporting a contemporary regulatory system
- Building regulatory foresight capability
- Striving for operational excellence
- Attracting, developing and retaining talented people
A key priority for the APVMA over the next 12 months will be improving regulatory performance and ensuring applications are finalised within legislative timeframes. The Corporate Plan includes a target of finalising at least 90 per cent of all applications within legislative timeframes and maintaining timely decision-making for applications involving new active constituents and associated new products. These outcomes are important to ensuring Australian farmers, veterinarians and other users can access safe and effective new technologies as quickly as possible while maintaining robust scientific assessment, evidence-based decision-making and risk management standards.
To support this focus, the APVMA will continue implementing regulatory process improvements designed to improve application throughput, reduce avoidable delays and support timely decision-making. This includes enhanced application pathways, improved application triage, increased use of trusted international assessments, expanded access to external scientific expertise, and targeted reforms to help applications progress more efficiently through the regulatory system while maintaining the quality, consistency and scientific integrity of regulatory decisions.
APVMA Chair Dr Catherine Ainsworth said the Corporate Plan demonstrates the agency's commitment to continuous improvement and to strengthening Australia's agvet chemical regulatory system.
"The operating environment for agriculture and veterinary medicine is changing rapidly. New technologies, increasing biosecurity risks, changing climatic conditions and evolving community expectations all require a regulator that is responsive, science-based and focused on delivering effective outcomes for Australia. Through this Corporate Plan, we are strengthening our focus on continuous improvement, including improving the timeliness of regulatory decisions while maintaining the high standards of scientific rigour that Australians expect."
The plan recognises the growing importance of innovation within Australia's agricultural and veterinary sectors. Emerging technologies present significant opportunities to improve productivity, sustainability and biosecurity outcomes. The APVMA is investing in the capability, expertise and regulatory frameworks needed to assess these products efficiently while maintaining confidence in the safety, efficacy and quality of regulatory decisions.
The APVMA will also continue strengthening collaboration with domestic and international regulatory partners, improving stakeholder engagement and investing in modern digital systems to support a more contemporary, efficient and responsive regulatory system. This includes improving the clarity of regulatory pathways, supporting more predictable and timely regulatory outcomes, and ensuring the agency has the capability, capacity and resources required to deliver effective regulation and meet the future needs of Australia's agricultural and veterinary sectors.