ABOUT US > Committees > APVMA CCC
The Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicines Association
Community Consultative Committee 2004
About the Committee
Members
Update - APVMA Community Gateway & E-bulletin
If you would like to bring your community views to the APVMA CCC meetings, contact the NTN rep Anne Stanton. Ph: 02 6248 5051
Email: rdi@netspeed.com.au
Meeting Notes & Minutes CCC33 December 2nd 2004
Meeting Notes & Minutes CCC32 August 26th 2004
Meeting Notes & Minutes CCC31 May 20th 2004
Meeting Notes & Minutes CCC30 February 26th 2004
Meeting Notes & Minutes for 2003
Matters on Which the APVMA is Seeking Committee Input
About the Committee
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary medicines Authority (APVMA) is the National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals. (They have recently changed their name from the NRA). They operate the national system which evaluates, registers and regulates agricultural and veterinary chemicals. Any changes to a product which is already on the market must also be referred to the APVMA. Under the National Registration Scheme, companies must supply the APVMA with extensive data about the product. The APVMA also reviews products which have been on the market for many years to ensure that they meet contemporary standards. It manages a national compliance program to ensure that products supplied in Australia continue to meet the conditions of registration.
The CCC (community consultative committee) is the only one of eight committees where the general public can have input to the APVMA. It meets quarterly. Meeting notes and official minutes will be posted here as they become available.
UPDATE 2004
The CCC are now producing a quarterly e-bulletin which details issues of community interest and provides a mechanism for you to provide input if you want. Some of the issues covered in the first edition are:
 spray drift
CCA treated timber
Reporting adverse impacts of pesticides
GM crop management issues and
Health impacts of pesticides.
The APVMA now have a Community section on their web. Through the e-bulletin and the Community Consultative Committee’s web page you can have access to detailed reports about chemicals under review, policy reviews, regulatory actions and initiatives. The CCC also now has an email address:
ccc@apvma.gov.au
To subscribe and receive APVMA's CCC e-bulletin, go to the link below.
http://www.apvma.gov.au/listserv/subscription_registration.shtml
Members:
Jenni Mack – Australian Consumers Assoc (NSW)
Sid Cowling – Organic Federation of Australia; Australian Independent Organic Inspectors Assoc (VIC)
Alison Brinson – ChemCert; VFF, Women in Horticulture (VIC)
Liz Hanna – Public Health Assoc, Royal College of Nursing (VIC)
Anne Stanton – National Toxics Network, Tools for Healthy Schools (ACT)
APVMA Scientist Tim Doyle – vet/antibiotics
AVPMA Ag chem. Review manager David Loshke
Jo Immig - National Toxics Network (NNSW)
Jane Fuller – Legal Aid Lawyer; Womens Rural Network, Public Service Association (NSW)
Sam Beechey – Aust Workers Union, Famsafe Australia (VIC)
Andrew Duncan – Western Australian Farmers Federation (WA)
APVMA PR and assistant Kathleen Allan
APVMA Pesticides Division and Executive Eva Bennet Jenkins
CCC30 Minutes (Word doc 90k)
Meeting Notes for CCC30 - February 26th 2004
Member reports
Sam Beechey concerned re:
bio-shearing hormone – sheep still staggering and falling over after 4 hours
increasing suicide rate among farmers, 227 deaths in 2003 (av age 43 yrs), is organising worksafe inquiry. Phil Reeves (APVMA) showing an interest -– real number may be 5x higher. Need to access worksafe and workcover data from all states on agvet usage
Andrew Duncan concerned re:
Aerial spraying of blue gum plantations, spraydrift in WA
Drummuster fee being applied inconsistently – all manufacturers should charge fee, and access should be guaranteed in all areas – operated by local councils. WAFF taking some action. Avcare should be responsible (Eva mentioned some discussion of this at OECD). Need to mandate batch numbers at retail level.
Alison Brinson concerned re:
Biocontrols in berry growing. DAFF biosecurity section has responsibility
Anne Stanton concerned re:
Trifluralin – contact David Loshke with formal letter re an internal review . APVMA not looking at the big picture re health, international reviews and efficiency
Ben concerned re:
GM and herbicide use. Herbicide resistance management Group, not APVMA responsibility. Andrew added concerns, that no-one is looking to the future in APVMA.
Andrew - Mixing of liquid fertilisers and pesticides a worry. Crop damage reported. CCC wants APVMA to go to the fertiliser manufacturers and the states re guidelines, labels
Alison – concern to use “approved” chemicals with minor use permits, fee is too expensive, concern that illegal pesticide use will increase.
CCA
David Loshke presentation re NTN concern over existing structures– argued background contamination of 0.5 micrograms/kilo of body weight, whereas WHO standard is 2 mg/k bw. Presented overheads of arsenic levels in well water in India.
NTN says not good enough! APVMA using old data, ignoring Keth Loveridge's test results. What studies are APVMA using?
Andrew – no labelling on CCA products at retail. APVMA acknowledges difficulty to restrict uses from retail sources
Need to change building codes and other industry codes
Workplan
CCC would like to lobby other departments, eg DAFF, on various issues, such as chemical user education & Container Management project. Phil Reeves mentioned the “National Strategy for management of chemicals” 1998, by John Anderson – 9 strategies. Could form an issues paper from CCC, then invite Avcare to a meeting.
Letter writing from CCC to industry, state govts, local councils, farmers, grower groups
Community research – subgroup of the Board (3 people) tender out to market research
Feedback to CCC via new email – Jenni to coordinate and reply
Increase CCC interaction with DAFF, input to DAFF forums
Label concept, Col Byrne still taking comments, APVMA keen for community input.
Need to replace Ben Cole on CCC, need reps from other states.
AERP
Peter Dagg outlined promotion strategy, Anne Stanton criticised lack of scale – only going out to farming journals, rural publications. NTN will send list of doctors and contact details, plus recommendations for further national media promotion and making use of interested medical professionals.
E-bulletin
An online e-bulletin will summarise CCC meeting discussions. Community will be able to subscribe via APVMA listserve. Any comments re APVMA’s new Community Gateway to Kathleen within 1 week.
NOHSC has a new code of practise for MSDS
Spray Drift – consultation with industry, no meetings so far with community but David Loshke is willing – still have problems with states and no spray zones. Would like more community input.
APVMA Board Chairman Dr Kevin Sheridan, and Joe Smith CEO
Kevin: Stressed importance of community feedback. NTN praised Community Gateway, suggested online feedback. CCC would like more information on Board members (gave CCC a handout), and more interaction.
Joe: interested in harmonisation of regulatory outcomes and data.
Kevin: concern over “willy nilly” withdrawal of chemicals for economic reasons (by industry) in other countries – a concern for Aust. Agriculture.
Joe: Cost of registering and develoing new “softer” chemicals is slowing chemical innovations.
NTN: New methods and strategies needed – who will take this initiative? Will APVMA do this?
Kevin: Product Safety Integrity Commission is dealing – but they only look 15 years ahead. National Operating Principles is APVMA input. Also want to make National Registration scheme consistent across all states, but still a way to go…
Kevin: APVMA needs to make a quantum leap on minor use chemicals - incentive for registrants, ease of access for users, need to be on-label.
Regulatory Science – Tim Dyke
APVMA developing a Good Regulatory Practise Standard
CCC concept words – replicability, up to date science, feedback loops, transparency, trust, CBI, independent generation of data, not relying on registrants with vested interests
CCC31 Minutes (Word doc 93k)
Meeting Notes for CCC31 - May 20th 2004
This was a small meeting, with only four of the seven community members present, and a vacancy left by Ben Cole. A replacement for Ben will be on board by CCC32. The following issues were discussed:
Drummuster Scheme - this is an industry sponsored scheme to track used agvet chemical containers. The scheme is not working well in WA, and the CCC will write to Avcare, the industry body, to outline the need for incentives to farmers to return drums.
Farmers are also unimpressed by new container designs produced by industry, citing safety and ease of use issues. We also discussed ways of canvassing urban chemical users on container management. APVMA will follow up on this issue for CCC32.
The use of liquid fertiliser as a carrier for ag chemicals concerns both APVMA and the CCC. Label changes will be recommended by the CCC, and the state authorities notified. APVMA will consult its chemists on the implications of mixing fertilisers and agchemicals.
APVMA has agreed to take on NTN recommendations regarding greater involvement of the health profession, and groups involved in pesticide illness and injury, in promotion of the AERP Ag. The CCC sees further need for GP training in this area, and will pursue this issue.
APVMA gave an overview of the chemical review process, and APVMA reviewers joined the meeting for informal discussion over lunch. Considering the numbers of chemicals in use, this review process is clearly a huge job and in need of better funding by government.
CCA-treated timber was discussed in relation to notification issues (CCA logs are still being installed in school grounds in the ACT), and the lack of any Australian testing independent of industry to obtain confirmation of test results and relative toxicity. Unfortunately, management of risk regarding existing CCA structures is being left to the initiative of potential stakeholders in the marketplace.
NTN attended a Product Safety & Integrity Committee workshop on the agvet management system on May 14th, and gave a brief report to the CCC. (Word doc 40k)
CCC32 Minutes (Word doc 107k)
Meeting Notes for CCC32 - August 26th 2004
Actions arising from CCC31:
The label review group will consider the mixing of fertilisers and agchems at its September meeting. The CCC sent a letter to the Product Safety & Integrity Commission encouraging more participation for community groups in the National Agvet Management strategy workshops. The CCC's news bulletin has attracted mainly government and industry subscribers, and APVMA would like to see more community groups subscribe. Click here to subscribe.
Member Reports:
In WA , concerns were raised regarding the spraying of bluegum plantations, the failure of the DrumMuster scheme, and the under-promotion of the AERP to rural agvet users.
In Victoria, the Australian Workers Union has imposed a ban on the use of CCA-treated timber products without a risk assessment, and are awaiting independent test results. The use of Guidar vaccine has caused concern, when an accidental injection resulted in serious illness for a farmer. An Adverse Experience report has been submitted, and the AWU has asked the manufacturer for an update on the product.
The Public Health Association and NTN are also concerned that the AERP is poorly promoted, and urged APVMA to use medical journals to promote the program to doctors and other health practitioners.
Growers applaud the Minor Use Forum monthly newsletter, but would like better communication between registrants and users, to avoid having to issue more Minor Use permits for crops not initially considered.
In NSW, it is reported that Fenitrothion may be used to control the imminent locust plague. A less toxic alternative is available for Organic growers, and we wonder why this cannot be used overall, instead of Fenitrothion....There is also concern over the impact of increased agvet usage on GM crops.
In the ACT, CCA-treated logs were installed in a school playground while CCA is under review.
All CCC members expressed concern over the progress of the CCA review, citing the need for better communication and direction from APVMA, validation of independent community tests, hazardous waste issues, and management of existing structures. NTN called for a new review on OH&S grounds to consider new evidence. APVMA proposes to follow the US example, and control use of CCA via product labels, and industry self-regulation.
The CCC is also reviewing the Chemical Review process, and will form a sub-committee to collate input from members. New legislative changes to the review system and data protection, as a result of the US Free Trade Agreement, will probably result in an influx of new actives after Jan 1st 2005, and more power to make interim regulatory decisions.
The APVMA Board have been considering the impact of chemical review on various industries, and are considering holding a User forum to discuss chemical reviews. It was discovered that every chemical used on carrots, for example, is currently under review! They will consider the involvement of non-chemical users, such as the Organic Federation of Australia.
Avcare gave the CCC a presentation on ChemClear and DrumMuster. It was noted that all costs of these schemes are passed on to the users, that consultaion with farmers is inadequate, and that the schemes are ineffective for managing hazardous agvet waste.
It was also noted that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry have directed APVMA not to include the Precautionary Principle....
CCC33 (draft) Minutes (Word doc 111k)
Meeting Notes for CCC33 - Dec 2004
The latest APVMA CCC E-bulletin gives updates on the current work and focus of the CCC, and provides the opportunity to contact the CCC with your comments.
Matters on Which the APVMA is Seeking Committee Input:
1. Development of the Adverse Experience Reporting Program for agricultural chemical products (AERP Ag)
This program has been many years coming, and is the first step towards urgently needed national monitoring of human health and the environment. CCC Members have expressed a number of concerns about the proposal in its current form, including:
the fact that the reports rely on GP diagnosis when many have inadequate knowledge of toxicology, and that it is not mandatory for medical practitioners to report AER’s;
and the lack of media promotion of the program.
The AERP is now up and running, and will publish an annual report in early 2005. You can download an incident reporting pack at the APVMA web, www.apvma.gov.auqa/aerp_ag.shtml
Please send your comments to the NTN CCC rep , or email ccc@apvma.gov.au
2. Operating Principles and Proposed Registration Requirements in relation to Spray Drift
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