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Senate committee approves bill to register and regulate biostimulants and beneficial substances
Summary
The Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee heard House Bill 15 51 to create new registration and labeling standards for biostimulants and 'beneficial substances.' The committee adopted departmental housekeeping amendments and voted to advance the bill as amended.
The Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee approved House Bill 15 51 as amended, a bill to create registration and labeling standards for biostimulants and other products defined as "beneficial substances." The Department of Agriculture's Pesticide and Fertilizer Division director, Lucas Wagner, presented the bill and proposed several housekeeping amendments intended to clarify definitions and labeling requirements.
Wagner told the committee the bill "would create a new chapter in 4.1 of the North Dakota Century Code relating to the registration and regulation of beneficial substances." He said the statutory changes would allow the Department to require efficacy data and consistent labeling so that products without demonstrated benefit could not be marketed as effective.
Committee discussion focused on the level of evidence for efficacy. Wagner acknowledged the department relies primarily on manufacturers' submitted efficacy data and does not have in-house facilities for independent testing; he said the bill would require manufacturers to provide the supporting data and label ingredient sources. "This allows us to reject those, and or at least have the people trained to register and provide some data that actually shows that it does benefit the soil or plants," Wagner said.
The committee adopted amendments that moved a key phrase on the demonstrated benefit to appear earlier in the definition, required a clear label statement when a product contains beneficial substances and to list ingredient sources, and specified use of the American Association of Plant Food Control Officials' publication as an industry standard. Senator Merdahl moved the amendments and Senator Weber seconded; the clerk recorded a roll call and the committee passed the bill as amended.
Supporters, including the North Dakota Farm Bureau, told the committee the bill will improve product integrity and accountability. The committee instructed staff to finalize formatting and housekeeping language with Legislative Counsel before the bill is transmitted.
