Barnaby Joyce is being accused of pork barrelling his own electorate by moving a government agency from Canberra to Armidale.
The deputy prime minister is also under attack for jumping the gun on the plan to shift the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority before receiving a report into whether it's worth the cost.
Farmers, industry and even some of Mr Joyce's coalition colleagues have raised concerns about the planned relocation.
The peak plant science body CropLife has slammed it as an unnecessary shift which would impact on farmers' access to crucial agricultural products.
The National Farmers Federation questioned why Mr Joyce, who is also agriculture minister, didn't wait for the cost-benefit analysis.
It has also questioned why the agency is being moved to the New England electorate.
"Why is it Armidale? Why not Bathurst or Bunbury? There's farming that takes place all around the country," chief executive Tony Mahar told ABC radio on Friday.
Mr Maher said it took time for agency staff to familiarise themselves with operations and apply their knowledge.
"Strange things happen in an election, I suppose."
Labor says it's a clear-cut case of pork barrelling given Mr Joyce is facing pressure in his northern NSW seat.
"It's all designed for the re-election of Barnaby Joyce at the expense of the agriculture industry," agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon told AAP.
"This is potentially devastating for the farming community."
Mr Fitzgibbon believes the cost-benefit analysis will be critical of the move, citing sources familiar with the report.
ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja doesn't support the decision either, sceptical of whether staff would make the move.
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