The federal government has commissioned an independent assessment of a mooted plan to relocate the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) from Canberra to Armidale.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been the driving force which kept the APVMA move alive, which contradicts recent industry speculation that he intervened late last year to overrule Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce’s ambition to move the chemical watchdog into his electorate.
While not supporting the APVMA’s move north for now, Mr Turnbull has instead indicated he could be swayed by any evidence presented via independent scrutiny.
It’s understood the Department of Agriculture was asked for a cost/benefit analysis of the move.
To date, the APVMA has bunkered down against Mr Joyce’s relocation push while the National Farmers Federation and other stakeholders have objected to the plan, citing concerns about loss of expert staff when the relocation occurs.