Senate committee calls for clearer pathway for hemp-based pet nutrition in Australia

A Senate committee has urged the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to simplify regulations for hemp-based pet products, potentially reducing industry uncertainty and aiding producers seeking approval.

A Senate committee has urged the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to make the pathway clearer for hemp-based pet nutrition products, in a move industry participants say could reduce regulatory uncertainty.

The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee, in a report released on 30 July 2026, said the sector had been left confused by shifting APVMA interpretations. It recommended that the regulator simplify the process for hemp products to be declared “excluded nutritional or digestive” products and provide more practical help to producers seeking approval.

These products are treated as animal feed rather than veterinary chemicals when they meet rules covering ingredients, manufacture, labelling and claims. The distinction matters because it determines whether a product can be sold without APVMA registration or must go through the far more demanding veterinary medicine route.

Arthur Wajs, co-founder of HempPet and treasurer of the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance, described the recommendation as “a quiet but important win for Australian pets”.

“Pet owners need clear information about what a product is, what it is intended to do and what claims can legitimately be made about.”

The committee’s recommendation is not binding and does not change current law. Any shift will depend on how the APVMA responds. The report also stopped short of judging the safety or efficacy of individual products, which would still need to meet all relevant evidence and labelling standards.