$50,000 Vape Fine Risk, Sees Dairy Owners Demand Action

The Dairy and Business Owners’ Group is writing to the Vaping Regulatory Authority (VRA) and vape manufacturers to seek urgent clarity over what products should and should not be sold after the VRA's 1 March deadline has come and gone.

“The Vaping Regulatory Authority set 1 March as the deadline for vape manufacturers to pull “product notifications” for vapes found above regulated ‘nicotine salt’ limits. Instead, there’s been silence,” says Sunny Kaushal, Chair of the Dairy and Business Owners’ Group Incorporated.

“Neither the VRA, nor the manufacturers, are covering themselves in glory when its small businesses who face huge $50,000 fines. All the legal liability is on us and given 1 March has well passed, there’s been nothing from the VRA and from most manufacturers.

“That’s not on when our guys face five figure fines but its hundreds of thousands for the likes of BP, Countdown, Z Energy and Foodstuffs. This is serious. Fines ruin any chance of a smoked tobacco license.

“While our people mostly sell three regulated vape flavours, mint, menthol and tobacco and mostly to smokers and ex-smokers, there’s some 15,000 notified products out there. Whether general or specialist stores we need information, and it isn’t happening.

"It was the VRA who went public last year about over-strength nicotine in vapes. We know it set 1 March as a deadline, so why are we and our customers still in the dark?

“Because of this and the risk of huge fines, we’re writing to the manufacturers to ask:

- if any of their vaping products are subject to the 1 March deadline and which ones.

- If they are distributing products subject to the VRA’s deadline, will they indemnify retailers for all legal costs should a retailer be subsequently fined?

“Separately, we’ll write to the Director-General of Health and copy in MPs and Ministers, to demand that the Vaping Regulatory Authority issue a public bulletin about which products should not be on our shelves after 1 March. That’s almost two weeks after the VRA’s deadline passed.

“We're also disappointed that the list of slipped government policies didn't include next year's “dairygeddon” when 90% of smoked tobacco sellers will get the chop. We asked for consultation on this, due tomorrow, be delayed until 5 April due to the cyclone and floods.

"All we’ve had is that the Minister is looking at it,” Mr Kaushal said.

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