Commonwealth legislation

Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code (Agricultural Active Constituents) Standards 2022

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Commonwealth

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legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

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This instrument prescribes mandatory chemical specifications for agricultural active constituents listed in its Schedule: minimum purity, maximum impurity limits, declared‑content tolerances, physical descriptions, and required analytical/measurement rules (including a TEQ calculation for dioxins). It applies to constituents approved or exempted for use in registered agricultural chemical products.

It affects manufacturers, importers and product registrants (who must declare and meet the stated assays and tolerances) and the regulator that enforces compliance, with some product‑specific conditions (e.g. paraquat emetic and container requirements).

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Current sections

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Part 1

Introduction

Part 1 Introduction

Preamble

1 Preamble

This Instrument contains standards for active constituents for use in agricultural chemical products. It is made under section 6E(1) of the Code following the procedures set out in regulation 8AF of the Regulations. Regulation 42(3) of the Regulations states that a standard made under section 6E(1) is prescribed for constituents within a chemical product after following a priority order laid out in a cascade of publications in regulation 42(3) for the purposes of section 87(1)(a) of the Code.

Name of instrument and power

2 Name of instrument and power

This Instrument is the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code (Agricultural Active Constituents) Standards 2022 and is made under section 6E(1) of the Code.

Definitions

4 Definitions

(1) Unless the contrary intention appears:

(a) words and expressions that are used in the Code have the same meaning in this Instrument; and

(b) words and expressions that are used in the Regulations have the same meaning in this Instrument.

(2) In this Instrument:

CAS Number for an active constituent means the numerical identifier assigned to the constituent by the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS).

Chemical Name for an active constituent generally means the name assigned to the constituent by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Where an IUPAC name is not available, a suitable alternative such as the Chemical Abstracts Name (the systematic name assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service) will be used instead.

Code means the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code scheduled to the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994.

Common Name for an active constituent means the name commonly assigned to the constituent, including those common names assigned by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), under the ISO 1750 Standard.

Impurity for an active constituent means a chemical substance other than the active constituent itself (for example a process byproduct) present in a commercially available active constituent.

Maximum Impurity Level for an Impurity, including a Toxicologically Significant Impurity in an active constituent means the maximum permissible amount of the Impurity as a proportion of the total amount of active and impurities, typically in units of g/kg or mg/kg.

Minimum Purity for an active constituent means the minimum permissible amount of active constituent as a proportion of the total amount of active constituent and impurities. Most commonly it is specified in units of g/kg, and when noted, is determined on a dry weight basis (g/kg).

Regulations means the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Regulations 1995.

Table means the table in the Schedule to this Instrument.

Technical active constituent (TC) means a commercially available active constituent that has been isolated (as far as practicable) from the starting materials, solvents and catalysts used to produce it as well as from manufacturing byproducts. A TC is traded between manufacturers of active constituents and manufacturers of end use products and is generally formulated before use as a pesticide. A salt or other derivative of the active constituent may be formed during the formulation process.

Technical concentrate (TK), also known as a manufacturing concentrate, may be an active constituent which has not been isolated from the materials used to produce it, or it may be a diluted TC intended for use in preparing formulations. In some cases it is necessary or advantageous to manufacture formulations from a TK rather than a TC. For example, the active constituent may be unstable or more hazardous in a pure form, or an isolation process may introduce unnecessary cost and complexity, especially if the main ingredient removed is water.

Toxicologically Significant Impurity for an active constituent mean an impurity in the constituent that is of toxicological significance.

Validated Analytical Method means an analytical method validated in accordance with generally accepted scientific principles for the purpose of analysis of the relevant chemical.

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Source text: opening excerpt

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

1 Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code (Agricultural Active Constituents) Standards 2022

Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code (Agricultural Active Constituents) Standards 2022

made under subsection 6E(1) of the Schedule to the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994

Compilation No. 1

Compilation date: 9 May 2024

Includes amendments: F2024L00521

About this compilation

This compilation

This is a compilation of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code (Agricultural Active Constituents) Standards 2022 that shows the text of the law as amended and in force on 9 May 2024 (the compilation date).

The notes at the end of this compilation (the endnotes) include information about amending laws and the amendment history of provisions of the compiled law.

Uncommenced amendments

The effect of uncommenced amendments is not shown in the text of the compiled law. Any uncommenced amendments affecting the law are accessible on the Register

(www.legislation.gov.au). The details of amendments made up to, but not commenced at, the compilation date are underlined in the endnotes. For more information on any uncommenced amendments, see the Register for the compiled law.

Application, saving and transitional provisions for provisions and amendments

If the operation of a provision or amendment of the compiled law is affected by an application, saving or transitional provision that is not included in this compilation, details are included in the endnotes.

Modifications

If the compiled law is modified by another law, the compiled law operates as modified but the modification does not amend the text of the law. Accordingly, this compilation does not show the text of the compiled law as modified. For more information on any modifications, see the Register for the compiled law.

Self-repealing provisions

If a provision of the compiled law has been repealed in accordance with a provision of the law, details are included in the endnotes.

Prepared by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Canberra.

Part 1 Introduction

1 Preamble