Minor use permits

A minor use permit application is made under an Item 21 application. Minor use permits are issued to legalise the use of an agricultural or veterinary (agvet) chemical product or active constituent in a use situation considered to be minor, such as:

  • use on a minor crop, animal or non-crop situation, where no registered products exist for the proposed use, and use of the product would not produce sufficient economic return to register the product
  • limited use in a major crop, animal or non-crop situation, where no registered products exist for the proposed use.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has prepared a Guide for Determining Minor Uses to assist in determining whether a proposed use meets the criteria for a minor use permit.

When considering an application, the APVMA considers the proposed use against the relevant permit criteria. The final decision on whether a use is determined to be a minor use rests with the APVMA.

If importing an unregistered product or an unapproved active constituent for use under a minor use permit, a separate consent to import is also required.

Emergency use permits

Emergency permit applications are made under an Item 22 application. Emergency permits are issued to legalise the use of an agvet chemical product or active constituent to address an emergency situation. Emergency permits are generally issued for the duration deemed to be appropriate to address the emergency situation.

The APVMA has prepared a Guide for Determining Emergency Uses or Research Purposes to assist in determining whether a proposed use meets the criteria for an emergency permit.

When considering an application, the APVMA considers the proposed use against the relevant permit criteria. The final decision on whether a use is determined to be an emergency use rests with the APVMA.

If importing an unregistered product or an unapproved active constituent for use under an emergency permit, a separate consent to import is also required.

To search minor use and emergency use permits issued by the APVMA, access the permits database.

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