Consultation and collaboration

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)?Stakeholder Engagement Framework sets out our strategic approach to stakeholder collaboration and consultation, including:

• our engagement objectives and principles
• methods of engagement
• stakeholder overview
• how we’ll measure our performance against the framework’s objectives.

An accompanying document, APVMA Stakeholder Engagement Activities, sets out the activities we intend to undertake to meet our engagement objectives (in addition to our business as usual activities) including the APVMA Consultative Forum.?

• About consultations
• Activities we consult on
• How to participate in consultations
• Feedback on our consultations

About consultations

The APVMA conducts consultations as part of our broader stakeholder engagement. We promote a genuine, timely and consistent approach to consultation to ensure our stakeholders are provided with sufficient time and means to submit feedback.

We consult with a range of stakeholders during consultation, including:

• the community
• the agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemical industry
• agvet chemical users
• environmental and other interest groups
• state, territory and local governments
• Australian Government departments, agencies, statutory authorities and boards
• other regulators.

Involvement of our stakeholders in APVMA development and decision-making occurs in the following ways:

• Public consultation
• Publication of decisions
• Access to management and staff

Consultation can take a variety of forms other than written consultation, such as stakeholder meetings, working groups, focus groups and surveys.

The length of each consultation is determined by the action being considered, however, longer consultation periods are sometimes necessary depending on the significance of the proposal or when they fall around holiday periods.

We notify our stakeholders about APVMA public consultations via a number of online channels, including:

• our website
• APVMA social media accounts
• the Gazette
• email notifications
• the Australian Government business consultation website.

Activities we consult on

Some activities we consult on include:

• proposed changes in the use of a registered product
• proposals to register a new agricultural or veterinary product containing a new active constituent
• chemical review
• new actives
• maximum residue limits (MRLs)
• reviews of business processes
• reviews of standards or guidelines
• APVMA cost recovery arrangements.

For less significant changes we may not be required to conduct a formal consultation, but may do so because of the value of the feedback received.

Trade Advice Notice

For certain applications, we prepare a Trade Advice Notice (TAN) where a proposed change in the use of a registered product has the potential to affect Australia’s trade. It provides a summary of the APVMA’s residue and trade assessment, and is published on the public consultation page on our website.

Public Release Summary

Notices of intent to register a new product containing a new active constituent are published on the public consultation page on our website as a Public Release Summary.

Chemical review

If new scientific information emerges after an active constituent has been approved or a product has been registered, which suggests a change in the risks to human health, the environment, animal or crop safety, or trade, the APVMA may undertake a formal legislative reconsideration (or review).

During this review, we will scientifically assess the risks and determine whether regulatory changes are necessary to ensure the chemical or veterinary medicine can continue to be used safely and effectively.

If the APVMA commences a review, our stakeholders will be invited to provide written submissions about the matters being reconsidered and the reasons for reconsideration.

Chemical review consultations are published on the public consultation page on our website.

Reviews of business processes

The APVMA sometimes reviews the business processes in place to administer various regulatory activities to:

• ensure that they are operating efficiently
• ensure timely approval of agvet chemicals
• minimise the administrative burden for industry.

If the review calls for public comment, it will be published for consultation on our website.

Reviews of standards or guidance

The APVMA reviews its guidance documents to ensure they include new scientific developments and emerging stakeholder expectations, and to reflect changes in international standards or international harmonisation activities.

If the review calls for public comment, it will be published for consultation on our website.

APVMA cost recovery arrangements

We review our cost recovery arrangements on an annual basis, and consult through forums with industry stakeholders on proposed fees and charges for the following financial year.

Changes to fees and charges are documented in a Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS), which is published on our website.

How to participate in consultations

You can provide feedback on our public consultations via email (the appropriate email address will be included in the consultation information on our website), or by post:

Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
GPO Box 3262
Sydney NSW 2001

For information on how the APVMA manages personal information when you participate in a consultation, see our Privacy Policy.

Feedback on our consultations

We will include information about formal consultations completed during the reporting period, including evidence that we have considered, in the annual report against the APVMA’s key performance indicators and reporting measures, and the Regulator Performance Framework. We will also report on stakeholder satisfaction with our consultation processes.