The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has released an iPhone application that enables people to instantly access information about agricultural and veterinary chemicals while on the move.

“The tool, thought to be a world first, will give a farmer in a paddock the ability to access a searchable database of the 10,500 agricultural and veterinary chemicals approved for use in Australia” APVMA spokesperson Dr Simon Cubit said in a media release launching the new app.

“The farmer, for example, will be able to search for a registered chemical product available to treat a specific insect pest.

“That search will also provide information about active constituents, withholding periods, product labels, and pack sizes at the touch of a button.”

“Once a search has been completed the farmer will be able to save the search for later reference or share the results with others, perhaps in the form of an email to a rural supply store.”

The application (called APVMA) also provides information on products that have been suspended, cancelled, stopped or archived.

This ability, which provides a time depth to chemical registrations in Australia, is not currently available on any other system including the ‘parent’ PUBCRIS database available on the APVMA website.

'The app is expected to be widely used not just by farmers but also by environmental managers needing chemical tools to tackle environmental weeds and pests. Versions of the app suitable for Android devices will also be developed.”

“The development of the application reflects a commitment by the APVMA to deliver the benefits of more efficient regulation to business and the community,” Dr Cubit said.

To see the App on the Itunes site click here