New AgVet Grants strengthen grower access to essential crop protection

Australia’s horticulture growers are set to benefit from new Federal grant funding, with Hort Innovation approved to receive eight grants totalling $1.2 million through the Australian Government’s AgVet Access Grants program.

The funding will accelerate responses to priority pest and disease challenges across multiple industries, providing growers with access to the effective tools they need to protect their crops and maintain productivity.

Hort Innovation has secured $8.8 million in AgVet Grant funding over the past 10 years, enabling the organisation to deliver crop protection solutions without relying solely on levy budgets – meaning more solutions for more growers, with reduced impact on levy R&D funds.

Minor use permits

AgVet Grants support efficacy, crop safety and residue trials required for minor use permit (MUP) and label extension registration submissions. Minor use permits provide short term permission to use chemicals in minor use situations where no relevant registered products or use patterns exist, while label extensions add new approved uses to product labels, creating a more permanent outcome for growers.

There’s information about the levy-funded project Olive industry minor use program (OL16000) on the Hort Innovation website here and details on all current, expired and surrendered minor use permits for the olive industry on the APVMA Permits search website here.