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AgVetLink: Number 53, December 2005

Final Stage of Transfer to ACVM Act

The ACVM Group has almost finished the update of product registrations. Most products are now under new registrations, complete with new certificates that include the revised conditions of registration and compulsory registration expiry date.

Registration expiry date needed

The registration expiry date of three years has been imposed on all products to enable confirmation that the product information held by the ACVM Group has not changed. This is needed because, even though it has been a legal requirement in the past for registrants to advise changes to products, the ACVM Group has found significant numbers of products were not kept ‘up to date’. If products have not changed over the three years, then the information required is likely to be minimal for a renewal of registration. The ACVM Group is working with industry to set the information requirements and develop the process for the renewal of registrations.

Inconsistent registrations

The time lag between the date when the ACVM Act came into force and the introduction of a registration expiry date requirement has meant that about 260 products have registrations that are not consistent with the current requirements. It was considered at the time that there was no need to ask each of the registrants of these products to provide another application so soon after the products were registered.

Consequently, the ACVM Group advised those registrants not to take any action in regard to the updating of their products at that time. Now, however, the only task left to do in the updating process is to issue the final registration certificates for the above-mentioned products with the same wording of conditions and the registration expiry date.

No change, no charge

To simplify this task the ACVM Group will send each affected registrant a form to be signed and returned to initiate the process of issuing the new certificate of registration. The form will request confirmation that the product has not changed and the information held by the ACVM Group is still valid. This will allow the issuing of the certificate without an application and with no charge. If the product has changed, then the registrant should contact the ACVM Group and discuss the matter.

Change from ’low risk’ to ‘specified requirements’

The ACVM Group is aware that the basis for registration (low risk to specified requirements standards) of about 20 products has changed significantly in the same time. The registrants of the affected products will be contacted individually to discuss the significance of the changes, which include revised conditions on registration and required label content. Notification of the information that would need to be supplied to enable the changes to be made will be advised in the letter to affected registrants. It should be noted that it is not a statutory requirement to request reassessment of the registration and all current registration certificates will remain valid although inappropriate for the type of registration. If reassessment is not requested, the product will automatically be put on a list of products to be audited within three years to ensure that the products are compliant with the legislation.