The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) reminds suppliers of their obligation to supply registered products in the approved pack size with the approved label attached.
Products can only be lawfully supplied to the Australian marketplace if the product complies with the relevant particulars and conditions of its registration. These can be found on the APVMA’s PubCRIS database as well as information about use patterns, the active constituent, and other instructions for use.
What is supply?
Section 3 of the Agvet Code states that supply includes do, or cause or permit the doing of, any of the following:
a) sell;
b) expose for sale;
c) send or deliver for sale or on sale;
d) dispose of under a hire purchase agreement;
e) exchange;
f) give;
g) offer to do an act that would be a supply (including an act referred to in any of the above paragraphs);
and, for example, includes supply under a contract for work or labour that also involves the supply of any thing.
What contraventions of the Agvet Code relate to supply?
The supply of chemical products that are not registered and the supply of chemical products without a label, or with an unapproved label, may be contraventions of the Agvet Code.
Part 4, Division 2 of the Agvet Code outlines some of the contraventions related to supply. Suppliers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the following sections of the Agvet Code:
- 76 Supply of unapproved active constituents
- 77 Supply of approved active constituents in contravention of conditions of approval
- 78 Supply of chemical products that are not registered products or reserved products
- 79 Supply of registered chemical products in contravention of conditions of registration
- 79B Supply of reserved chemical products contrary to conditions specified in the regulations
- 80 Supply of chemical products without a label
- 81 Supply of registered chemical products with unapproved label
- 83 Supply of substances whose constituents differ from constituents of registered chemical product
- 84 Claims inconsistent with labels
- 85 Modification of warning prohibited
- 86 Labels not to be detached etc.
- 88 Certain notices not to be published
- 89 Certain statements prohibited
How to comply
Suppliers should review the products offered for sale by their company and remove any non-compliant information. This includes offers to supply chemical products that are not registered with the APVMA.
Suppliers of date-controlled products should also consult section 91 of the Agvet Code.
Report non-compliance
If a product is for sale that does not comply with these requirements you should notify the APVMA.
In Australia, state and territory regulators are responsible for regulating the use of agricultural and veterinary chemical products. Anyone with a concern about pesticide misuse should contact their state or territory regulator.