Senators have been warned about a loss of expertise as the government's pesticides body is moved to Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's regional electorate, with several senior scientists already resigning.
The controversial decision to relocate the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) from Canberra to Armidale was again under the spotlight at a Senate inquiry on Tuesday.
The peak body for the agricultural chemical industry said the loss of APVMA's specialised staff would have a "serious negative impact on the Australian plant science industry, and the nation's farming sector in the short, medium and perhaps long-term".
CropLife chief Matthew Cossey said his issue was not with the relocation itself, but rather the impact of the disruption.
"If this regulator was already in Armidale being proposed to be moved to Canberra, and they were going to have the same consequences, I'd be here arguing against that," he said.
Former APVMA boss Joe Smith said it would be an enormous setback to lose a majority of the authority's regulatory scientists, and it would take years to recover.
"I would suggest the issues we've heard talked about today about long-turn around times and long evaluation times, this will look like chicken feed," he said.
APVMA chief Kareena Arthy said it would take up to five years after the 2019 move to reach a full complement of 150 scientists, with the agency experiencing higher than expected staff departures.
Labor senator Lisa Singh asked Ms Arthy would be moving to Armidale.
"That's a private question which I have ... which is not something I'm willing to comment on," Ms Arthy replied.
"The CEO position will be located in Armidale, yes."
Reg Kidd from the National Farmers' Federation supports the relocation of agencies to regional Australia, but said the impact on the related sectors should be considered.
Mr Kidd warned farmers will be at a disadvantage if pesticide approval rates slow down because they won't be able to access state of the art chemicals.
Labor set up the latest inquiry to look into the relocation of the APVMA, but Mr Joyce has pushed for it to investigate the broader issue of decentralisation.
Nearly 200 submissions have been received by the inquiry, including 85 from regional councils.
Labor agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon doesn't accept the relocation is a done deal.
"It's not too late for Malcolm Turnbull to intervene here and say 'Barnaby Joyce enough is enough, we can't have you wasting $60 million of taxpayer's money to save your own skin in Armidale while at the same time unravelling an important agency'," he told reporters in Canberra.
When Ms Arthy appeared before senators in February she revealed executives who have already moved to Armidale were working out of the local McDonalds, using the free wi-fi as they searched for real estate.
"I learnt a harsh lesson that day not to try and use humour in Senate Estimates," she said on Tuesday.
