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AgVetLink August 2003

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OECD Risk Reduction Steering Group workshop on minor (off-label) uses of pesticides

This working group set up under the OECD Working Group on Pesticides (which in turn is a part of the OECD Environment Programme) intends to hold a one-day workshop on how regulatory agencies should deal with the issue of the use of pesticides on minor crops (for which no registration is likely), in the context of risk reduction. New Zealand is represented at the Working Group on Pesticides by the NZFSA, and the Ministry for the Environment represents New Zealand on the Risk Reduction Steering Group.

The workshop is to be held in Canberra on 4 November, and it is planned for New Zealand (NZFSA) to present its modus operandi for dealing with this off-label issue during the day. The New Zealand approach is to allow registration of uses of pesticides by third parties (such as the growers needing the pesticides in their crop production) who are required to generate the residues data to enable maximum residue limits (MRLs) to be set to ensure the safety and legality of the food produced.

NZFSA involves the pesticide registrants in the process and, to date, they have gone on to formally register the ‘new’ use for their products. This is a transparent process and quite different from that generally used by overseas regulators who usually issue permits for off-label uses without formally making any changes to the registration status of the pesticides.

 

Fumagillin use in the bee industry

This product was approved for use under the Apiaries Act some time ago, and the use was ‘saved’ by the Animal Products Act. However, the product must be registered to allow continued use after the end of the ACVM Act transition period on 2 July 2004.

We are writing to bee industry organisations to advise them of the situation, and we have also been in contact with the product marketer to ensure they know what is required to register the product. We will be developing our decision making framework in this area of antibiotic use and expect to have some discussion documents available in the near future.

 

Limited period registrations

The ACVM Group is expecting a significant number of ‘updates’ of products in the coming 12 months, and we are aware that there is still significant development being under-taken on the wording of conditions under the ACVM Act. Refinements are being made in light of inves-tigations, audits, and registrant feedback as implementation occurs.

For this reason, the Group is considering making registrations valid for a limited period rather than being indefinite.

The period we are considering is three to five years (although this will be considered case by case if there is a specific reason), with no costs to the registrant for updates if no changes are required.