The Environmental Protection Agency has changed tack about reassessing chemicals used in the agricultural and horticultural industries.
It was originally only planning to re-assess four organophosphates, including the insecticides dichlorvos and diazinon.
But after considering a range of submissions, the agency has decided to take a more integrated approach.
Hazardous substance applications manager Marie Bradley says there are benefits in widening the scope of reassessment to include other substances with a similar mode of action.
Dr Bradley says widening the scope should avoid the agency taking regulatory action on one substance that might result in people using something that is potentially worse.
She says there is also a benefit in giving industry a greater certainty about the tools they will have available to them in the future, once the reassessment is completed.
Dr Bradley says the next step will be to put out discussion documents on its initial thinking, which will include risk assessment based on overseas data and exploring additional controls to mitigate risk.
She says over the next couple of months the agency hopes to hear from people about how they use these substances in New Zealand and also their feedback on the feasibility or practicality of the proposed controls.
Dr Bradley says the intention is to have decisions made on the use of organophosphates before the end of next year.
