Plant Industry - Registration of Commercial Fertilizer Products

Each brand of commercial fertilizer for tobacco, specialty fertilizer, fertilizer materials, manipulated manure and fortified mulch shall be registered by the person whose name appears on the label prior to being offered for sale or distribution in the state.  There is an additional requirement implemented by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Water Quality Section for animal waste-derived fertilizers.  As such, animal waste-derived fertilizers must be permitted by the DENR-Water Quality Section prior to final product registration with NCDA&CS-Seed and Fertilizer Section.

To Register a New Commercial Fertilizer Product, please refer to the checklist below:

New Commercial Fertilizer Product Registration Checklist (Note:  As part of the registration process, the registrant must identify those products that are waste-derived fertilizers, micronutrient fertilizers, or fertilizer by-products which require supporting documentation.)


            Submit originals to NCDA&CS and maintain copies for your file

  1. Form SF01-Application for License to Manufacture/Distribute Fertilizers
  2. Remit license fee of $100 to NCDA&CS.
  3. Form SF02-Application for Product Registration
  4. Remit fee of $5.00 per brand and grade for all packages greater than five pounds or fee of $55.00 for packages of five pounds or less to NCDA&CS.
  5. Product Label-Enclose the most current product label.

Questions relating to new commercial fertilizer product registration may be directly to fertilizer.registration@ncagr.gov or to 919-707-3756.

Commercial Fertilizer Renewal Registration Checklist

  1. The NCDA&CS-Seed and Fertilizer Section will issue a Registration Review to all individual companies with currently registered products.  Upon receipt, the Registration Review should be thoroughly reviewed for products shown.  Those products that are not to be renewed must be marked for deletion.  Product registrations expire on June 30th of each year.
  2. New products that are to be submitted for registration must be accompanied by forms as noted in the New Commercial Fertilizer Product Registration Checklist.
  3. Remit fee of $5.00 per brand and grade for all packages greater than five pounds or fee of $55.00 for packages of five pounds or less to NCDA&CS.
  4. Product Labels-Enclose any labels revised since the last registration period.
  5. If a product was conditionally registered during the registration cycle due to label issues, a revised label, including any changes, must be submitted.

 

Labeling Requirements
Any commercial fertilizer sold or distributed in North Carolina must have a label attached to the package which provides the following information:

  1. Net weight;
  2. Product name, brand, and grade.  The grade is not required if no primary nutrients are claimed;
  3. Guaranteed analysis and source list in a derivation statement below the completed guaranteed analysis;
  4. Name and address of the manufacturer or distributor as it is stated on the registration and license;
  5. For commercial fertilizers distributed in bulk, a written or printed statement meeting the labeling requirements must accompany delivery and be supplied to the purchaser at the time of delivery.  This would include truck loads and rail car loads.
  6. Each delivery of a customer-formula fertilizer must contain those ingredients specified by the purchaser.  The fertilizer must be accompanied by either a statement, invoice, a delivery slip, or a label, if bagged, containing the following information:  Net weight; brand; guaranteed analysis (stated to the nearest whole number for primary elements); name and address of the registrant or licensee, manufacturer or both; and name/address of the purchaser.  The registrant or licensee must maintain a record of all invoices of customer-formula grade mixes for twelve months and make them available to NCDA&CS upon request.

 

General Tips for Registrants
The following tips should assist registrants to successfully complete the registration of new products and the renewal process for commercial fertilizers:

●          Be sure to complete and submit the proper registration forms (Refer to the sections, New Commercial Fertilizer Product Registration Checklist and Commercial Fertilizer Renewal Registration Checklist above).
●          Registrants should understand that NCDA&CS staff will not be able to review labels without the submission of a full registration package.  Registrants are invited to email fertilizer.registration@ncagr.gov or phone 919-707-3756 with questions when preparing their registration package.
●          To expedite the process, please watch for common mistakes when completing/submitting the required forms.  Common mistakes include the failure to submit the laboratory analysis with the application form, failure to submit a current label, failure to submit correct fees, typos of other mistakes on the application, submission of labels without an application and failure to submit labels which meet all outlined requirements.
●          Please note the normal registration review process is generally two weeks.  The failure to provide current information may delay the process.

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