A pesticides agency being forcibly moved to regional NSW is taking longer than ever to register new products amid staff shortages and a spike in applications.
Registration of new pesticides within set performance targets has plunged from 82 per cent in September 2016 to 30 per cent in March, a Senate hearing was told on Thursday.
At the same time, roughly 15 per cent of staff positions at the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority are unfilled, including 13 regulatory scientist roles.
Executive director Alan Norden says it's clear staff losses are having an impact.
"We're looking at recruiting and we're looking at business processes as well to address that," he said.
Staff departures at the APVMA have increased by 8.8 per cent in the past financial year, and while a recent recruitment drive has borne fruit, Mr Norden confirmed it took up to five years to train regulatory scientists.
"It's not just understanding the science of what we do, but how that actually fits in with regulation agricultural and veterinary chemicals as well," he said.
So far this financial year, the APVMA has lost 20 regulatory scientists and recruited 20, with 82 employed at the agency, compared to a usual pool of about 100.
Labor senator Kim Carr was incredulous about the staff vacancies and poor clearance rates.
"This is an important scientific agency," he said.
"You don't just rip it out of Canberra and move it to another location without having an impact - an impact in terms of industry as well as the individuals concerned who are being affected by this change."
Mr Norden indicated application clearance rates - while not improving - didn't appear to be getting worse in recent months.
"The current trend this quarter is that we're holding steady with where we were in the previous quarter," he said.
The agency is being relocated from Canberra to Armidale in Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's regional NSW electorate.
Tempers flared between senators as the agency's appearance drew to a close.
"I just want to wish the staff, all of you, all the very best, it must be a pretty traumatic time for some of you," Labor senator Greg Sterle said to APVMA staff.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie interjected, saying it was an exciting time for young scientists, triggering a barbed retort from Senator Sterle.
"Senator McKenzie may use a smart-arse thing like 'exciting' but when people's lives are tipped upside down through no fault of their own, you should hang your head in shame," he said.
"You can be an absolute disgrace - you are an embarrassment to the National Party - you cannot help yourself, you go the low road, it is in your DNA."
The morning's hearing then wrapped up.
