The head of the national pesticides authority won't say whether she will move with her agency to Barnaby Joyce's regional electorate when her position is relocated there.
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) chief Kareena Arthy was on Tuesday asked about her own plans during a Senate inquiry into shifting the agency from Canberra to Armidale in NSW.
"That's a private question which I have ... which is not something I'm willing to comment on," Ms Arthy told senators.
The APVMA chief executive's position will be located in Armidale.
Senators were warned about a loss of expertise as the government's pesticides body is moved to regional NSW, with several senior scientists already resigning.
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.
Ms 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.
Reg Kidd from the National Farmers' Federation supports the relocation of agencies to regional Australia, but 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.
Labor agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon doesn't accept the APVMA relocation is a done deal.
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.
