Reporting non-compliant agricultural or veterinary chemicals or advertising (NCRs)

New June 2004: Operational Notice on Complaints about advertising

Before an agricultural or veterinary chemical product can enter the Australian market, it must pass the APVMA's rigorous assessment process to ensure that it will work as intended and that when used as directed on the product label it will have no negative effects on people, animals, the environment or international trade. Agricultural and veterinary chemical products registered by the APVMA have the words "NRA Approval No" followed by a unique number printed on the bottom of the product label. The last four digits of the number tell you when the APVMA last assessed the product.

There are three ways in which a chemical may fall within the definition of an agricultural or veterinary chemical under the agricultural and veterinary chemicals legislation and thereby be regulated by the APVMA. Those ways are:

• because it is specifically declared to be an agricultural or veterinary chemical product by Australia's agricultural and veterinary chemicals legislation,
• because of what the product contains (ie its formulation), or
• because of the claims made about what the product does.

Full definitions of agricultural and veterinary chemicals can be found in section 4 and 5 of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Codes, respectively.

Under the agricultural and veterinary chemicals legislation it is illegal to:

• supply or posses for supply an agricultural or veterinary chemical that has not been approved or registered by the APVMA or for which a Permit (see information about permits on this site or search for a permit) has not been issued by the APVMA;

• import without a prior Consent to Import issued by the APVMA an agricultural or veterinary chemical not approved or registered by the APVMA;

• supply a registered agricultural or veterinary chemical bearing a label not approved by the APVMA;

• supply a date-expired agricultural or veterinary chemical registered by the APVMA;

• advertise an agricultural or veterinary chemical that has not been registered by the APVMA;

• make claims about an agricultural or veterinary chemical that are not consistent with an instruction on a label approved by the APVMA;

• undertake a step in the manufacture of a veterinary chemical in premises not licensed (refer Manufacturers' Licensing Scheme) by the APVMA;

• to supply a hormonal growth promotant (HGP) without a valid Notification Number (refer Supply and Sale of Hormonal Growth Promotants (HGPs) issued by the APVMA;

• to supply a HGP to a recipient who does not have a valid Notification Number or who has not provided a completed HGP Purchaser Declaration (refer Supply and Sale of Hormonal Growth Promotants (HGPs) ).

The APVMA values and encourages the public, industry, other Government agencies and industry associations to submit information on any suspected breaches of the agricultural and veterinary chemicals legislation. Reports of non-compliance should be submitted using the Report of Non-compliant Agricultural or Veterinary Chemicals or Advertising (KP40_F59).

The APVMA undertakes to treat all such reports in accordance with the Compliance Program Operating Principles.