Gazette APVMA 6, 6 June 2006 page 28

NOTICE

Trade Advice Notices – Notifying a change in operational process

This notice is to inform stakeholders of a change to how the APVMA will be requesting advice from stakeholders with respect to product application related trade matters.

The APVMA has, up to now, published notices in the APVMA Gazette to inform stakeholders that the APVMA is requesting advice on trade matters concerning particular product applications (see http://www.apvma.gov.au/MORAG_ag/vol_3/part_5b_trade.html). For further details the APVMA provided a Trade Advice Note (TAN) which is available on the APVMA’s website (www.apvma.gov.au). The APVMA also sends TANs directly to the State government departments and peak industry bodies with interest in trade matters relating to the application proposal.

Responses to TANs have rarely come from sources other than State government departments or peak industry bodies. In addition, the APVMA website is now the main method of providing information to stakeholders and requesting stakeholder feedback.

The APVMA is actively finding ways to increase efficiency and timeliness in the application assessment process and notes the time requirements necessary to publish notices in the APVMA Gazette. As a result,the APVMA will now only be publishing TANs (now to be called Trade Advice Notices) to the APVMA website, where they can be viewed at the TAN web page http://www.apvma.gov.au/registration/TAN.shtml.TANs will continue to be sent directly to relevant State government departments and peak industry bodies. In addition, the APVMA will make reference to new TANs on the website via the email messages sent using the APVMA list server (see http://www.apvma.gov.au/listserv/subscription_registration.shtml for details).

For further information please contact Gavin Hall on (02) 6272 3152 or gavin.hall@apvma.gov.au.