Grace periods
If the authorisation for a plant protection product or an active substance is amended, withdrawn or not renewed, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority may grant a grace period for the disposal, storage, placing on the market and use of existing stocks.
Grace periods after amending an authorisation
If the authorisation of a plant protection product is amended, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority may assign a new registration number for the new approval. The authorisation with the old registration number will be granted a grace period.
The grace period for the old registration number should be limited, and not exceed six months for sale and distribution, and additionally one year for the disposal, storage, and use of existing stocks of the plant protection product.
Examples of amendments where products with an old registration number will be granted a grace period:
- After a renewal of an authorisation
- Amendments of hazard statements and/or precautionary statements
- Amendments of the product’s area of use, where the new authorisation is limited
- Amendments of the terms of use, where the terms are more restricted
Amendments, which do not require a grace period
Certain amendments do not require a grace period. After such amendments, you can no longer produce the old label anymore, but you may sell products in stock with the old label as long as the new label is authorised.
Examples of amendments which do not require grace periods:
- Amendments of the product’s area of use, where the authorisation is expanded and the old authorisation still is covered by the new authorisation
- Amendments of the terms of use of a product, where the old terms still are covered by the new authorisation
- Amendments of a product’s name
- Amendments of the product’s authorisation holder (transfer of a product)
Grace periods after withdrawal of an authorisation
When a product loses its authorisation, or when the authorisation is not renewed, the grace period shall be limited and not exceed six months for sale and distribution, and additionally one year for the disposal, storage, and use of existing stocks of the plant protection product.
In the case of withdrawals or non-renewals caused by immediate concerns for human health, animal health or the environment, the plant protection products concerned shall be withdrawn from the market immediately.
If the authorisation is withdrawn, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority will inform the authorisation holder of the grace period in a decision letter. It is the responsibility of the authorisation holder to inform the importer, distributes and retailers of the decision.
Grace periods when active substances are not renewed in the EU
If an active substance loses its approval in the EU, the same will apply in Norway. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority still needs to make a national decision regarding grace periods of the products containing the relevant active substance. Generally speaking, if the EU-commission decides on a common grace period for the whole of EU, Norway will follow the same grace period.
The EU-commission will publish information on withdrawals in the Official Journal of the European Union.
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