Intake phase

During the administrative check, the Ctgb determines whether all the required documents have been included in accordance with the application form. The Ctgb then checks the submitted legal instructions for use (WG) and the table on Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).

If the application is administratively complete and there are no ambiguities about the WG and the GAP, the intake check on specific aspects begins. During the intake check, each aspect is then reviewed according to the priority list to determine whether the application is of sufficient quality and contains all the elements necessary for its assessment.

Priority list

The items on the priority list are aspects that often lead to requests for additional information in the assessment phase and serve as the initial guideline. The priority list is updated annually based on experiences with previously assessed dossiers. Before submission it is advisable to check your dossier regarding this priority list to ensure its quality. The further processing of the dossier depends on how the items on the priority list are handled:

• If the dossier is of sufficient quality and contains all the elements necessary to assess the application, this will be reported to the applicant with an indication of the assessment costs (for applications based on subsequent costing) or an invoice for the assessment costs (for applications based on fixed fees), and the intake will be completed.
• If specific points in the dossier are unclear or have not been adequately addressed, the applicant will be requested to submit additional information on these points.

The priority list is not exhaustive. Applications that comply with all points on the priority list may still require additional information before the dossier contains all the elements needed to start the assessment.

Timelines for additional information in the intake phase

Ctgb has modified the intake process to shorten the turnaround times for processing a file. During the intake phase, the focus is primarily on the assessability of the dossier. A dossier that is complete and consistent is deemed assessable. If essential components appear to be missing during the intake, the applicant will be given a limited amount of time to supplement the dossier. If essential components are still missing after the deadline, the application is deemed inadmissible. In that case the applicant can, if desired, amend the dossier and submit a new application.

The deadlines for supplementing incomplete applications are specified in the administrative regulations (in Dutch only, approved on 18-12-2018). If the required information has not been submitted with the application, the applicant will be given the opportunity to submit this data for a period of:

1. one week to submit or supplement the legal instructions for use, or the table on Good Agricultural Practice (WG and GAP);
2. two weeks to submit missing data in the dossier or replace evidently unusable data from the application.

These deadlines can be extended only if the missing or inconsistent data cannot be attributed to the applicant or should not be at the risk of the applicant.

Use our pre-application tools!

Experience has shown that applicants sometimes need a lot of time to answer questions from the intake. As of 1 January 2019, the timelines have changed. Therefore, please use our pre-application tools such as the Pre-submission meeting (PSM) to check your dossier for potential problems. You can also consult the Ctgb in advance to help you prepare the correct WG and GAP for your application by submitting a request to the Service Desk.

Intake of Art. 43 renewal applications

The consequences of data gaps in the dossier of an Art. 43 renewal application can be severe for existing authorisations in the Netherlands; in the case of a zonal application this can have consequences for the entire zone, and the applicant cannot submit a new Art. 43 application. As an exception, the Ctgb can extend the deadlines for correcting incomplete applications. This extension is granted on a case-by-case after consultation with the project manager. However, this extension can be brief due to the short statutory timelines for Art. 43 applications. To close as many data gaps as possible in the dossier beforehand, applicants for Art. 43 renewals are strongly advised to use the possibilities for a PSM during the pre-application process. See also the Ctgb web pages on renewals.