Products sharing identical ingredients and formulation ratios exempt from resubmitting test reports

Key amendments to the notification on organic farming input registration regulations [National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service]
Key amendments to the notification on organic farming input registration regulations [National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service]

South Korea's National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced Thursday that it has revised its organic farming input registration regulations to exempt applicants from submitting certain test reports when seeking registration.

The revision aims to reduce the burden of redundant testing when a product made with the same ingredients and manufacturing formulation ratio is submitted for re-registration.

Previously, no exception existed for plant efficacy test reports or toxicity test reports, meaning applicants were required to conduct additional tests and submit new reports even when re-registering an identical product through an agreement with an existing registrant.

Plant test reports assess a product's efficacy and potential harm to crops, while toxicity test reports verify its effects on humans, livestock and the environment.

The agency found it unreasonable to require additional testing for products manufactured with the same ingredients and formulation ratios, given that their effects on plants and toxicity results would be identical, and moved to reform the system.

Under the revised regulations, applicants who obtain consent from the original registrant may now use that registrant's existing plant and toxicity test reports. The change is expected to save at least 25 million won (about $16,500) per registration by eliminating the need to repeat the same tests.

"We will continue to identify and eliminate unnecessary regulations to support the growth of the organic farming input industry," said Kim Cheol, head of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service.


adastra@heraldcorp.com