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Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals
(Control of Use) Regulations 2007 – Veterinary chemical use

Introduction

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From 24 July 2007, the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Regulations 2007 took effect. An overview fact sheet is also available, which outlines the new Regulations and the background to their development.


Effect of the new Regulations

The new Regulations seek to minimise the risks and maximise the benefits associated with the use of agricultural and veterinary chemical use in Victoria.

The new Regulations are quite different to the old Regulations they replace. A number of provisions in the old Regulations have been deleted, some provisions have been revised, and as new risks have been identifi ed, new provisions have been developed.

The effects of the new Regulations are to:

  1. prescribe the records to be made and kept by users and sellers of certain chemical products;
  2. prescribe requirements for labels and advice notes accompanying certain veterinary chemical products sold by veterinary practitioners for the treatment of stock;
  3. prescribe information to be provided in relation to certain agricultural spraying to be carried out on land near schools, hospitals, aged care services or children’s services;
  4. prescribe the equipment to be used when carrying out aerial spraying; and
  5. prescribe other matters authorised by the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992.

Who will be affected by these changes?

All primary producers and contractors who use agricultural and veterinary chemical products will be affected by the changes.

Recording chemical use

When stock1 animals are treated using a veterinary chemical product that is classified as a Schedule 4 Poison or which has an applicable withholding period the person applying the treatment must make the following records within 48 hours of using a chemical product:

  • the product trade name;
  • the species of the animal;
  • the location of the animal;
  • the identification number (if known) or description of the animal;
  • the date/s the animal was treated with the product; and
  • the quantity of the product used for each treatment.

These records must be kept for two years after using the chemical product.

Exemptions

If a veterinary chemical product is used in accordance with a Quality Assurance or similar program that has been approved by the chief administrator, and notice of that approval has been published in the Government Gazette, the veterinary chemical use is exempt from these record keeping requirements.

Veterinary practitioners are also exempt from these requirements, however there are specifi c record keeping requirements in relation to veterinary chemical supply and use by veterinary practitioners.

Use of hormonal growth promotants

When stock animals are treated with a hormonal growth promotant the person undertaking the treatment must make the following records within 24 hours of using the hormonal growth promotant:

  • the date of treatment;
  • the breed, age and sex of the animal treated;
  • the product name of the hormonal growth promotant used;
  • the name and address of the supplier of the hormonal growth promotant that was used;
  • the number of hormonal growth promotant implants lost or damaged during treatment;
  • the address of the property on which the animal was treated; and
  • the property identification code of the property on which the animal was treated.

All records of chemical use must be kept for two years after using the chemical product.

Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has developed a record keeping template for veterinary chemical use, which is available from the DPI website.

Further information

For further information on the new Regulations, including a free record keeping template, contact the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186 or visit the DPI website at www.dpi.vic.gov.au/chemicalstandards.

Copies of the Regulations can be downloaded from the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website at www.legislation.vic.gov.au.

 

1 “stock” means any animal of which any part is used as, or which produces any product that is ordinarily used as, or manufactured into, food for humans, and includes bees, fish, and birds.