Australia’s agrifood sector is under growing pressure to adapt crop protection systems in response to resistance to conventional chemistries, residue requirements and rising expectations for sustainability. 

Biological control products, such as microbials, metabolites, RNA-based approaches, and endosymbiont technologies, are progressing internationally and present opportunities to enhance Australia’s crop protection toolkit. However, their effective adoption depends on overcoming several barriers. 

In December 2025, AFII brought together experts from industry, researchers, research development corporations, growers, and government agencies to discuss these barriers. Together, the group surfaced several system-wide insights:

• Regulatory uncertainty, especially regarding biosecurity import rules, regulatory data requirements, efficacy expectations, and alignment among government agencies, causes delays, higher costs, and hesitation among developers, particularly SMEs. 
• Challenges in demonstrating efficacy, including the need for large-scale, integrated trials and limited access to appropriate trial infrastructure, hinder the production of reliable, decision-grade evidence. Additionally, the efficacy of many biologicals is influenced by environmental conditions, necessitating a different approach to trial design compared with conventional chemistries.  
• Capability gaps in regulatory expertise, trial design, local manufacturing and adviser knowledge undermine confidence and slow product development and adoption. 
• Market constraints like low domestic demand and high trial and evaluation costs reduce investment incentives and restrict product availability. 
• Behavioural and social licence factors, including differing expectations among stakeholders on the performance of biologicals vs conventional chemistries, and fragmented advisory pathways, influence trust and uptake across the value chain. 

Industry experts prioritised these barriers by impact and feasibility, highlighting opportunities for targeted improvement. 

These insights are captured in a report released by the Agrifood Innovation Institute today - Advancing Biocontrol in Australian Agriculture: Opportunities and regulatory pathways

The report outlines short, medium, and long-term actions for regulators, RDCs, industry, and policy agencies to establish a shared foundation for future system improvements.

AFII would like to thank our workshop Advisory Group for their support in the development of this report:

• Professor Owen Atkin, Director, Agrifood Innovation Institute - The Australian National University
• Dr Maria Trainer, Executive Director, Science and Assurance - APVMA
• Dr Rohan Rainbow, Managing Director - Crop Protection Australia
• Gavin Hall, Chief Operations Officer - DTS Regulatory Consultants
• Nick Bell, Research Operations Lead, Pest & Environmental Adaptation Research Group -
• The University of Melbourne
• Terri McGrath – Director, Agvet Chemicals Policy, Agvet Chemicals and Forestry Branch - Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
• Guy Bursle, Assistant Secretary, Agvet Chemicals and Forestry Branch - Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
• Anna Madden, Director & Agronomist - Crop Capsules
• Dr R.T.(Bob) Mullins. Independent Non-Exec. Director
• Gregory Sekulic – Director, Agricultural Chemical Policy, CropLife Australia
• Dr Raghu Sathyamurthy - Research Director: Biosecurity, CSIRO