Meet the professionals – May Spotlight – Joe McCarthy, Melina Henne and Shannon Bryant-Spas
For May’s spotlight, we’re featuring three of TSG’s fertilizer experts – Shannon Bryant-Spas, Senior Regulatory Consultant and Team Leader for US State Services, Dr Melina Henne, Senior Regulatory Consultant based in Germany, and Joe McCarthy, Senior Regulatory Consultant and head of TSG in Canada.
The fertilizer industry varies significantly across the US, EU, and Canada:
- In the EU, fertilizers are regulated by regulation EU 2003/2003 and EU national laws. Beginning on July 16, 2022, regulation EU 2019/1009 will come into force, repealing regulation 2003/2003. Most notably, the new regulation unlocks commercial opportunities for organic fertilizers that were previously excluded from moving freely in the single market.
- In the US, unlike most industries, fertilizers are only regulated at the state level. With no federal legislation governing the fertilizer industry, companies must try and navigate 50 different state policies.
- In Canada, fertilizers are regulated under the Fertilizers Act upheld by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
In this month's spotlight, we speak with Joe, Shannon and Melina who share their top tips when registering a fertilizer in these three jurisdictions.
Joe McCarthy – Canada
Joe provides service and solutions to clients for product registration and compliance for a variety of conventional, non-conventional, and pesticide device products in Canada. He maintains a keen understanding of Canadian regulations including the Pest Control Products Act, Fertilizers Act, New Substance Notification Regulations, as well as Consumer and Workplace Chemical labeling and disclosure. Joe holds a BSc in Chemistry and Environmental Sciences.
His tip? Fertilizers and supplements imported into Canada that contain materials of plant or animal origin may also require an import permit under the Plant Protection Act or the Health of Animals Act. If you aren’t certain whether this applies to your product or not, reach out to Joe for guidance.
Shannon Bryant-Spas – US
Shannon specializes in the US compliance of products including fertilizers, plant and soil amendments, organic input materials, and animal feed, including pet food, at the state level. She oversees product registrations and renewals, develops labels that can be used across all 50 US states and territories, reviews product formulations, assists with tonnage reporting, and evaluates products for organic input eligibility.
Her tip? Although fertilizers are regulated at the state level, the ingredients in a fertilizer product must be compliant with the US EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). A product may be defined as a fertilizer based on claims made irrespective of any nutrient guarantees. Shannon can help you determine whether TSCA review is necessary.
Melina Henne, PhD – EU
Melina prepares Biological Assessment Dossiers and summaries for the registration of agrochemicals, as well as for national registration of biocidal and plant protection products, including CADDY dossiers. After completing her degree in Biology and her PhD in plant molecular biology at the Institute of Botany at the Leibniz University of Hannover, Melina joined TSG in January 2014.
Her tip? New EU regulation comes into force on July 16, 2022. This new regulation will introduce Conformitè Europëene (CE) labelling allowing free product movement in a single market. Get in touch with Melina to find out how she can help your company prepare and comply with the changing regulations.
Did you know?
Three things you might not know about fertilizer regulation:
- In the US, unlike most other agrochemicals, fertilizers are not exempt from TSCA. Any chemical found in a fertilizer in the US must be listed on the TSCA Inventory.
- Despite continued efforts to harmonize regulatory procedures in the EU, national requirements vary across member states and might change with the new EU regulation posing challenges for product registration.
- Canada requires that some fertilizers undergo CFIA’s pre-market assessment prior to registration.
How can TSG’s fertilizer experts help you?
TSG’s global understanding of fertilizer regulation means greater market access for your company. Interested in learning more about the varying regulatory requirements? Seeking support with fertilizer registration in the US, Canada, or the EU? Shannon, Melina, and Joe are happy to help. Get in touch: [email protected]
