To increase environmental protection and well-being of the community consistent with the Authority's Risk Reduction Strategy, ERMA New Zealand has implemented a price reduction approach for hazardous substances applications. This reduction applies only to full release applications (form HS-1). In order to be eligible for a reduced fee there must be a reference substance to which a comparison can be made, and the new hazardous substance must meet certain criteria. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide relevant evidence to substantiate this.
The reference substance must:
- have a Part V HSNO Act approval or a deemed approval by Regulation or Transfer Notice published in the New Zealand Gazette;
- be in active use in New Zealand; and
- be used for the same purposes as the new substance (such as if it is a pesticide, it is to be used on the same crop for the same target pest; if it is a veterinary medicine, it is to be used on the same animal for the same purpose).
The new substance must not be more hazardous in any respect and must offer a real reduction in risk. This may be achieved by:
- either no change in hazard profile but reduced exposure. Such reduced
exposure may be achieved by:
- lower use rate; or
- greater degradability; or
- reduced bioconcentration potential.
- or reduction in hazard profile and the same exposure
- or a combination of both reduction in hazard and reduction in exposure.
Implementation of the reduced prices will follow existing procedures for assessing that an application has been received in full, including payment of the correct fee (section 21 of the HSNO Act), such that, if it is clear that the application does not meet a criterion, the applicant will be required to pay the full fee in order for the application to proceed.