NZL/582
WTO/SPS
NZ New Zealand
  • 65 - Agriculture
  • 67 - Food technology
2018-11-19
2018-09-21

Vegetables, fruits, animal products, and other food

Proposals to Amend the Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds Food Notice 2018

The document contains technical details on proposals to amend the current Notice issued under the Food Act 2014 that lists the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for agricultural compounds in New Zealand.

MPI proposes the following amendments to the Notice:

a)    The amendment of terminology in the Notice, to refer to ‘exemptions’ from compliance with a MRL rather than ‘exceptions’.

b)    The addition of new MRL entries for the following compounds:

·         Dicamba: 0.05 mg/kg in mammalian fat (except milk fat); 0.5 mg/kg in mammalian kidney; 0.1 mg/kg in mammalian liver; 0.02 mg/kg in mammalian meat; and 0.1 mg/kg in milk.

c)    The amendment of existing MRL entries for the following compounds and commodities:

·         Clethodim: 0.2 mg/kg in mammalian meat; 0.2 mg/kg in mammalian offal; and 0.05 mg/kg in milk.

·         Fludioxonil: 7 mg/kg in pineapples for import to New Zealand.

·         Halauxifen-methyl: 0.01 mg/kg (*) in mammalian meat; 0.01 mg/kg (*) in mammalian offal; and 0.01 mg/kg (*) in milk.

·         Lambda-cyhalothrin: 0.5 mg/kg in mammalian fat; 0.02 mg/kg in mammalian offal; 0.01 mg/kg in mammalian meat; and 0.05 mg/kg in mammalian milk.

·         Metamitron: 0.01 mg/kg (*) in pears.

Note: (*) indicates that the maximum residue level has been set at or about the limit of analytical quantification.

d)    The addition of an exemption from compliance with a MRL for paraffin oils, when used as an agricultural compound.

e)    The amendment of existing exemptions from compliance with a MRL for the following compounds:

·         Formic acid, to move it from the list of agricultural compounds in Schedule 2 (for agricultural chemicals) to Schedule 3 (for veterinary medicines) of the Food Notice, and to revise the condition of exemption to be more specific to the control of Varroa mite.

·         Oxalic acid, to move it from the list of agricultural compounds in Schedule 2 (for agricultural chemicals) to Schedule 3 (for veterinary medicines) of the Food Notice, and to revise the condition of exemption to be more specific to the control of Varroa mite. 

·         Thymol, to broaden the substance definition to extracts of Thymus vulgaris (thyme) containing thymol, and to revise the condition of exemption to specify that use as an agricultural compound is for control of Varroa mite where the mode of action derives from the presence of thymol. 

f)     The amendment of the residue definition for lignocaine. The amendment of the residue definition for xylazine.