The Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation Amendment (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Board and Other Improvements) Bill 2019 (Improvements Bill) passed through Parliament on 1 December 2021.
The Improvements Bill includes measures to:
- establish a governance board for the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)
- allow for prescribed approvals and registrations for chemicals of low regulatory concern
- provide for extensions to limitation periods and protection periods as an incentive for chemical companies to register certain new uses of chemical products
- allow for computerised decision-making by the APVMA
- simplify industry reporting requirements for annual returns.
On 7 December 2021, the Improvements Bill received the Royal Assent and is now the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation Amendment (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Board and Other Improvements) Act 2021. The Act will be available on the Federal Register of Legislation and incorporated into the compilations of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994, the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Administration) Act 1992 and the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemical Products (Collection of Levy) Act 1994.
Implementation of the measures will be staggered, with some to commence on Royal Assent or within the next 3, 6 or 12 months.
A list of measures and the expected implementation date is available on the APVMA website.
The APVMA will continue to keep stakeholders updated as measures commence and are implemented. Stakeholders are encouraged to subscribe to receive email updates from the APVMA to be notified as this occurs.
Questions about the Improvements Bill and related measures may be directed to Enquiries@apvma.gov.au.