Proposals to Amend the  
New Zealand (Maximum Residue 
Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice 
 
 
New Zealand Food Safety Discussion  Paper  No: 2023/08 
 
 
 
Prepared for public consultation  
by New Zealand Food Safety  
  
ISBN No:  978-1-991120- 42-7 (online)  
ISSN No: 2624- 0157 (online)  
 
 
  15 December  2023 
  
Disclaimer  
 While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate, the  
Ministry for Primary Industries  does not accept any responsibility or liability for error of fact, omission, 
interpretation or opinion that may be present, nor  for the consequences of any decisions based on  
this information.  
  This publication is also available on the Ministry for Primary Industries  website at  
http://www.mpi.govt.nz/news -and-resources/publications/
  
  © Crown Copyright - Ministry for Primary Industries   
i Contents  Page 
 
1 Request for submissions  1 
2 Introduction 2 
2.1 Establishing Maximum Residue Levels  2 
2.2 Summary of Proposed Amendments  5 
3 PROPOSALS  7 
3.1 Proposal to amend the MRLs for pydiflumetofen  7 
3.2 Proposal to delete the Notice entry for w arfarin  9 
3.3 Proposal to set an entry for diatomaceous earth in Schedule 3  9 
3.4 Proposal to set an entry for gonadorelin in Schedule 3  10 
3.5 Proposal to set an entry for sepiolite in Schedule 3  10 
  
New Zealand Food Safety  Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice •  1 1 Request for submissions  
New Zealand Food Safety  invites public comment on this discussion document, which outlines 
proposals to amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) 
Food Notice (Notice) . 
 
For each compound  you are commenting on, please clearly answer the following questions.  
 
Do you agree or disagree with the proposed addition, amendment or deletion?  
 
For compounds listed in Schedule 1, d o you agree or disagree with the proposed 
MRL (s)?  
 
For compounds listed in Schedules 2 or 3, do you agree or disagree with the listing or 
the conditions?  
 
Please feel free to include with your answers above, any supporting discussion, data or 
examples that you feel are relevant.  
 
Submissions close at 5pm on 13 February  2024.  Your c omments should be sent to:  
MRL Amendments  
New Zealand Food Safety  
Ministry for Primary Industries  
PO Box 2526  
Wellington 6140  
Email: MaximumResidueLevels@mpi.govt.nz . 
Please include your name and address on your submission. If you are making comments on behalf of an organisation, also include your title and the name of the organisation.  
Please make sure your comments can be clearly read, as a number of copies of your submission may be made.  
 
The Official Information Act  
The Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA) states that information is to be made available 
unless there are grounds for withholding it. The grounds for withholding information are 
outlined in the OIA.  Submitters may wish to indicate any grounds for withholding information contained in their submission.  Reasons for withholding information could include that 
information is commercially sensitive or that the submitters wish personal information such as 
names or contact details to be withheld. The Ministry for Primary Industries  will take such 
indications into account when determining whether to release information.  Any decision to withhold information requested under the OIA may be reviewed by the Ombudsman.  
 
  
2 • Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice New Zealand Food Safety  2 Introduction  
Agricultural compounds are natural  or synthetic substances used in the  direct  management of 
plants and animals, and include all agricultural chemicals (e.g. fungicides, herbicides, and 
insecticides) , veterinary medicines, and other compounds used to maintain plant and animal 
health and productivity.  Growers and farmers use these agricultural compounds to manage 
disease in animals and crops, protect the food supply, and maximise the quantity and quality 
of the food they grow.  
Agricultural compound  use can leave residues in the food harvested  from treated crops and 
animals. To manage these residues, it is important to ensure that only the lowest  amount of 
an agricultural compound is used to consistently achieve its intended purpose. This will leave 
the smallest amount of residue practicable without compromising the compound’s efficacy. The set  of principles and methods used to manage that balance is known as good agricultural 
practice (GAP) . These principles apply to  the production of safe and good quality horticultural , 
agricultural,  and animal products.  Maximum residue levels (MRLs) are then established for 
each compound/food commodity combination by evaluating the residues left in food 
commodities as a result of the highest authorised GAP use (the ‘critical GAP’).  This value is 
compared against the health- based guidance value before a maximum level of agricultural 
compound residue allowable in that food commodity is set. How the MRLs are determined, and how they are used once they have been set, are explained in more detail below.   
MRLs are the maximum legal levels for residues of agricultural compounds permitted in food 
for sale in New Zealand. They are established based on domestic uses of a particular 
compound and are used to monitor GAP compliance in New Zealand while ensuring food 
safety . Because they are based on New Zealand authorised uses according to domestic GAP, 
MRLs may differ from those established overseas for a similar use because their GAP may be different.  However, as noted below, imported food can also comply with Codex MRLs . 
To meet New Zealand’s obligations under the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement) , proposals for new and amended MRLs are 
notified to the World Trade Organization. Any country may choose to comment if they believe 
a proposed MRL represents a barrier to their trade.  
2.1 Establishing Maximum Residue Levels  
2.1.1 Regulatory Structure  
MRLs  are the maximum legal levels of agricultural compound residues permitted in food for 
sale in New Zealand and are set out in the Notice. The Notice is updated up to four times a 
year to reflect changes in the use of agricultural compounds in the production of food. The 
Notice is available from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) New Zealand Food Safety 
website at: https://www.m pi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/19550- maximum -residue- levels -for-
agricultural -compounds .  
New Zealand Food Safety administers the Notice, with the final decision on any changes to 
the Notice resting with the Director -General of MPI. The Notice is issued under section 405 of 
the Food Act 2014. When setting or amending MRLs, the Director -General must follow, as far 
as practicable, international best practice on dietary intake assessment and setting of maximum residue levels.  The requirements for the content of the Not ice are set out in Part 6 
of the Food Regulations 2015 (the Food Regulations), allowing for the setting of MRLs for 
agricultural compounds as well as specifying compounds to which no MRL applies .  
In addition to establishing the requirements for domestically produced foods, Part 6 of the Food Regulations  also outlines the residue level compliance requirements for imported foods.  
New Zealand Food Safety  Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice •  3 Regulation 144 states that food must not contain residues of agricultural compounds  unless 
the residue level does not exceed : 
- the MRLs specified for that food in a notice set under the Food Act 2014 ( regulation  
144(1)(a)); or  
- the default MRL of 0.1 mg/kg ( regulation  144(1)(c)); or  
- for imported food, the current editions of either the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) 
and Extraneous Maximum Residue Limits (EMRLs) for Pesticides (Codex 
Pesticides Residues in Food Online Database), or the Maximum Residue Limits for 
Veterinary Drugs in Food (Codex Veterinary Drug Residue in Food Online 
Database) ( regulation 144(1)(d)).  
These provisions allow for New Zealand Food Safety to set MRLs for imported food 
commodities when such levels are required. As imported food commodities can comply with 
either a Codex MRL or a MRL established in the Notice, New Zealand’s obligations under the 
SPS Agreement are met.  
On the whole, the  Food Regulations allow for the management of residues in all foods 
consumed in New Zealand.  
2.1.2 Determining Maximum Residue Levels  
The first step in determining MRLs for an agricultural compound is establishing GA P for the 
use of the compound in the target species or crop. New Zealand Food Safety establishes GAP 
by evaluating efficacy, crop safety, and animal health and safety for the range of treatments 
and use patterns  approved and proposed for each compound . Onc e GAP has been 
established for an agricultural compound, the residues resulting from the highest authorised dose or application rate  and use pattern, which is likely to give rise to the highest residues (the 
‘critical GAP’)  is then used to determine the  MRLs in food commodities from  treated  crops  and 
animals.   
Although the primary function of MRLs is to ensure conformance with established New Zealand 
GAP, the MRLs also play a role in managing dietary exposure and risks to trade in food 
commodities. To ensur e the MRLs will effectively manage residues related to those risks, a 
national estimated daily intake or NEDI calculation is conducted to evaluate consumption risk 
and a review of all international MRLs for the compound/commodity combinations being 
considered is completed to evaluate trade risk. If it is found that the MRL being considered 
may pose a food safety or trade risk, the proposed MRL is not progressed.   
Where it has been determined that MRLs can be set, those MRLs are proposed for inclusion 
in the Notice for approved or proposed agricultural compound uses . For veterinary medicines, 
MRLs may be proposed for animal products from a specific species (e.g., cattle, chicken) or a species group (e.g., mammalian, poultry) depending on the residue and metabolism profile of 
the agricultural compound being considered. Similarly, for agricultural chemicals, an MRL may 
be set for an individual crop or crop product (e.g., avocados, wheat grains) or for a crop 
grouping (e.g., pome fruits). When it has been determi ned that assigning an MRL to a crop 
grouping is appropriate, the grouping used aligns with the Codex classifications of foods and animal feeds.  
For agricultural chemicals used on a crop from which both food and animal feed commodities are derived, MRLs are  proposed for both the food commodities intended for human 
consumption from the treated crop, and animal commodities for the species or species group 
to which the feed commodity is fed. If the compound for which the MRLs are set is also used 
as a veterinar y medicine, all approved veterinary and agricultural chemical uses are 
considered when setting the animal commodity MRLs. If an agricultural chemical is used on a  
4 • Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice New Zealand Food Safety  crop from which only animal feed is harvested (e.g., pasture, fodder crops), only animal 
comm odity MRLs will be proposed.   
2.1.3 Estimating Chronic Dietary Exposure   
National estimated daily intake  
The objective of the  estimated chronic dietary exposure  is to determine whether residues in 
food commodities will pose an unacceptable risk to consumers as a result of the authorised 
use of an agricultural compound according to established GAP. This exposure is estimated by  
calculating the national estimated daily intake (NEDI) in accordance with the Guidelines for 
predicting dietary intake of pesticide residues (revised) [World Health Organization, 1997] . 
The NEDI calculation uses the total residues in food derived from all New Zealand authorised 
uses of an agricultural compound, including all toxicologically significant residues, and regional 
dietary consumption data derived from the 1997 National Nutritional Survey for adults and the 
1995 National Nutrition Survey of Australia for children. The calculated NEDI is then compared 
with the health based guidance value (HBGV) associated with the compound; if the t otal 
residues derived from all uses of the agricultural compound is estimated to be less than the HBGV, the dietary exposure is unlikely to pose a health risk to consumers.   
Health Based Guidance Values  
The HBGV used in determining the estimated dietary exposure may be either a Potential Daily 
Exposure (food) (PDE (food)) or an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). The ADI and PDE (food) are 
largely equivalent as they are determined using the same set of toxicology data and through a 
very similar scientific process. Both values are reported as milligrams of compound per 
kilogram bodyweight per day (mg/kg bw/d).  
A PDE (food) is a value determined by a toxicological evaluation by the New Zealand 
Environmental Protection Authority (NZ EPA) as part of its responsibility for managing public 
health under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996.  A PDE (food) gives the 
potential daily exposure  to a substance that  a person may be subject to via food, and is the 
food- specific part of a set of values for different ex posure pathways comprising the NZ EPA’s 
assessment of acceptable daily exposure (ADE) for an agricultural compound.  
An ADI is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “the daily intake which, during 
an entire lifetime, appears to be without appreciable risk on the basis of all the known facts at 
the time”. “Without appreciable risk” has been further defined as: “the practical certainty that 
injury will not result even after a lifetime of exposure”. ADIs are established by the WHO and 
Food and Agri culture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations joint expert committees, which 
are made up of toxicologists and residue specialists. The ADI information from these joint 
committees also feeds into the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which sets 
international MRLs.  
New Zealand Food Safety uses the PDE (food) set by the NZ EPA as the HBGV for the estimation 
of dietary exposure when one is available. If there is no PDE (food), the NEDI  is compared with 
an ADI set by the WHO/FAO joint expert committees, t he Australian Pesticides and Veterinary 
Medicines Authority, the European Food Safety Authority, or another regulatory authority. If none of these are available, the HBGV used will be a New Zealand Food Safety -determined 
ADI.   
2.1.4 International MRLs and Trade   
Because New Zealand MRLs are based on domestic GAP, they may differ from th e MRLs  
established overseas  for the use of the same compound in the same target species or crop if 
the GAP used to set those MRLs are different. To ensure the New Zealand MRLs wil l not  
New Zealand Food Safety  Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice •  5 unduly impact trade, the MRLs set by Codex and a selection of other international regulatory 
bodies  are reviewed to evaluate trade risk.  
For animal commodities, the MRLs set by Australia, Canada, China, Codex, the European 
Union, Japan, and the U nited States  are commonly  reviewed and compared; for horticultural 
commodities, MRLs set by Codex and Australia are commonly  reviewed and compared. Other 
international MRLs  may also be reviewed and compared if there is a particular trade risk to be 
considered for those regions  for any exported commodity .  
Where there are relevant international MRLs to be considered in the trade assessment for the 
proposal, these are included in a table in the “Relevant International MRLs” section of each 
proposal entry. This table includes all MRLs for the agricultural compound/food commodity 
combinations for which new or amended New Zealand MRLs are being proposed; international 
MRLs for other commodities for which New Zealand MRLs already exist are not included. If 
there are no MRLs set by an international authority for a particular compound/commodity 
combination, the authority is not listed in the table.  
2.1.5 Agricultural Compounds for Which No Maximum Residue Level Applies   
Not all agricultural compounds require an MRL to manage their use in crops or animals . This 
may be because there are no residues present due to the  properties of the  compound such as 
rapid elimination from the plant, animal, or their environment,  or because there are no food 
safety or trade risk s associated with the residues that are present. Regulation 141 of the Food 
Regulations allow s for the listing of specified compounds that fit these criteria as agricultural 
chemicals or veterinary medicines for which no MRL applies. These compounds are listed in Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 of the Notice, respectively , and the conditions of listing can be set 
for a particular use, a particular animal or crop, or general use as an agricultural chemical or 
veterinary medicine.  
Agricultural chemicals and veterinary medicines being considered for listing as compounds for 
which no MRL applies undergo a similar scientific assessment of their use as that undertaken 
for MRL assessment. This assessment is done in accordance with international methodologies 
published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 
International Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of 
Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH), or FAO. It includes establishing the GAP use of the 
compound, the relevant metabolism and residue information, and the potential risks posed to 
public health and trade. The assessment may also include an assessment of dietary exposure 
when considered necessar y to fully assess the risks.  
Where New Zealand Food Safety has determined that an  MRL is not required, the compound 
is proposed for listing in Schedule 2  (for agricultural chemicals)  or Schedule 3 (for veterinary 
medicines) with conditions on their use to  ensure the listing applies only to those situations 
that have been evaluated. If a compound listed in Schedule 2 or 3 is used in a way that does 
not meet the specified condition, the default MRL of 0.1 mg/kg will apply  to food derived from 
treated plants  or animals. Each proposal for inclusion in Schedule 2 or 3 includes a discussion 
of the rationale behind the considerations for listing , and a discussion of the assessed risks  
and proposed conditions .  
2.2 Summary of Proposed Amendments  
The proposed MRLs have been thoroughly assessed in accordance with international 
methodologies published by the O ECD,  VICH, or FAO . Information on the technical 
assessment of each proposal is included in this document (refer section 3) and covers:  
• the new or amended entry propos ed for inclusion in the Notice;   
6 • Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice New Zealand Food Safety  • the rationale for the new entry or amendment being proposed ; 
• New Zealand good agricultural practice for the compound and target crop or species ; 
• the relevant residues information used in determining the proposed MRLs ; 
• a summ ary of the dietary risk and public health assessment ; and 
• the MRLs set by Codex and other authorities  that are relevant to the new or amended 
entry.  
Where an existing entry is proposed for revision, new or revised entry content is listed  in bold 
print, and content proposed for removal is  identified by a strikethrough.  
The MRL compliance and dietary risk assessment residue definitions are included in the 
residues information section of the proposal. The HBGV used to compare to the NEDI 
calculation and deter mine the potential public health risk is included in the dietary risk and 
public health assessment section of the proposal.  
2.2.1 Amendments to Schedule 1 : Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds  
MPI proposes to make the following changes to Schedule 1 of the Notice:  
• An amendment to the e ntry for pydiflumetofen , to set MRLs at 0.2 mg/kg for barley 
grain, 0.01(*) mg/kg for eggs, 0.01(*) mg/kg for milk, 0.01(*) mg/kg for poultry fat, 
0.01(*) mg/kg for poultry meat, and 0.01(*) mg/kg for poultry offal; and 
• The removal of the Notice entry for warfarin .   
Note: (*) indicates that the maximum residue level has been set at or about the limit of 
analytical quantification.  
2.2.2 Amendment to Schedule 3: Veterinary Medicines for which No Maximum Residue Level 
Applies  
MPI proposes to make the following changes to Schedule 3 of the Notice:  
• The addition of a new entry for diatomaceous earth, when used as a veterinary medicine;  
• The addition of a new entry for  gonadorelin , when used to manage reproduction in 
ruminants ; and  
• The addition of a new entry for sepiolite , when used as  a mycotoxin binder . 
   
New Zealand Food Safety  Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice •  7 3 PROPOSALS  
3.1 Proposal to amend the MRLs for pydiflumetofen  
It is proposed that the MRLs for pydiflumetofen are amended to support the GAP use of the 
compound in barley .  
The revised entry in Schedule 1 of the Notice will read:  
Compound 
Common Name  CAS#  Residue to which the maximum 
residue level applies  Food  Maximum Residue 
Level (mg/kg)  
Pydiflumetofen  1228284- 64-7 Pydiflumetofen  Barley grain  
Eggs  
Grapes  
Mammalian fat  
Mammalian meat  
Mammalian offal  
Milk 
Potatoes  
Poultry fat  
Poultry meat  
Poultry offal  0.2 
0.01(*)  
0.2 
0.03 0.01(*)  
0.03 
0.01(*)  
0.01(*)  
0.01(*)  
0.01(*)  
0.01(*)  
3.1.1 Amendment Rationale  
The proposed MRLs are to support a new use to control Ramularia and scald in barley  when 
used in accordance with the use pattern and withholding periods proposed as GAP in New 
Zealand. Pydiflumetofen is currently approved for use in New Zealand in grapes for powdery 
mildew and B otrytis  control, with animal commodity MRLs set to manage the potential for 
residue transfer to animal commodities resulting from the practice of introducing sheep for leaf 
plucking and grazing in vineyards. With the introduction of use on a cereal crop that may be used as feed in food producing animals, new and revised animal commodity MRLs are also 
being proposed.  
3.1.2 Good Agricultural Practice  
Pydiflumetofen is a carboxamide succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicide with 
protectant activity against a range of fungal diseases. It is a 50:50 mixture of R - and S- 
enantiomers, both being biologically active.  
The proposed new use pattern is up to two applications of 75 gai/ha in barley for the control of 
Ramularia and scald as preventative sprays when conditions favour disease. These 
applications must be made in mixture with another approved non -cross -resistant fungicide, 
with the first application typically  at BBCH 31 -32 and the second application between BBCH 
39-45 (flag leaf) and BBCH 69 (end of flowering). This use will attract a pre- harvest interval of 
42 days for barley grain, and an interval of 28 days between treatment and use of  green feed 
or silage for animal consumption.   
3.1.3 Residue Information  
The residue data for the use of pydiflumetofen are sufficient to conclude that, when applied 
according to the proposed GAP use pattern, residues of pydiflumetofen should not exceed 0.2 
mg/kg  in barley grain. The residue definition of ‘pydiflumetofen’  remains appropriate  to manage 
both GAP compliance and dietary intake in plant commodities.  
Animal metabolism and feeding study data characterising the residue transfer potential to animal commodities following exposure to pydiflumetofen were  sufficient to inform a review of 
the animal commodity MRLs. Because treated barley and products from barley crops may be 
used as animal feed beyond the previously considered vineyard uses, poultry MRLs have been  
8 • Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice New Zealand Food Safety  proposed. In addition, the milk MRL has been revised to represent the expected feed burden 
for ruminant speci es when both barley and vineyard uses are considered. When 
pydiflumetofen is used according with New Zealand GAP and all pre -harvest and pre -grazing 
intervals are observed, residues in animal commodities can be expected to conform to the 
established and new animal commodity MRLs. Controls applied to the use of pydiflumetofen 
in vineyards with respect to grazing sheep remain appropriate to manage GAP compliance 
and residues for that use.  
The existing residue definitions for animal commodities remain appropriate: ‘pydiflumetofen’ 
for GAP compliance, and the following for dietary intake estimation –  
• the sum of pydiflumetofen, 2,4,6 -TCP and its conjugates, and 3- (difluoromethyl) -N-
methoxy -1-methyl -N-[1-methyl -2-(2,4,6 -trichloro -3-hydroxy -phenyl)ethyl]pyrazole-4-
carboxamide (SYN547897) and its conjugates, expressed as pydiflumetofen for liver 
and kidney; and  
• the sum of pydiflumetofen and 2,4,6 -TCP and its conjugates, expressed as 
pydiflumetofen,  for all other animal commodities.  
3.1.4 Dietary Risk Assessment  
The HBGV  of 0.06 mg/kg bw/d, and the stated dietary intake residue definitions, are considered 
appropriate for use in the assessment. Based on the residue profile expected in food from  
horticultural crops treated with pydiflumetofen and animal commodities exposed to  
pydiflumetofen,  the NEDI is estimated to total less than  1% of the HBGV . 
New Zealand Food Safety  has therefore determined that the use of pydiflumetofen, when use  
according to the GAP specified above, is unlikely to pose any health risks from authorised use.   
3.1.5 Relevant International MRLs  for Pydiflumetofen  
Authority  Food                                                                         Maximum Residue Level 
(mg/kg)  
Australia  Cereal grains [except Maize and Popcorn ] 
Edible offal (mammalian)  
Eggs  
Meat (mammalian) [in the fat]  
Milks  
Poultry meat  
Poultry, edible offal of  3 
0.02 
0.01 
0.02 0.01 
0.01 
0.01 
Codex  Barley, similar grains, and pseudocereals with husks (subgroup)  
Edible offal (mammalian)  
Eggs  
Mammalian fats (except milk fats)  
Meat (from mammals other than marine mammals)  
Milks  
Poultry fats  
Poultry meat  
Poultry, edible offal of  3 
0.1 
0.02 
0.1 
0.1 
0.01 0.01 
0.01 
0.01 
Canada Eggs  
Fat of cattle, goats, horses, and sheep 
Fat of hogs and poultry  
Meat byproducts of cattle, goats, horses, and sheep 
Meat byproducts of hogs and poultry  
Meat of cattle, goats, hogs, horses, poultry, and sheep  
Milk 0.01 
0.03 0.01 
0.03 
0.01 
0.01 
0.03 
 
  
New Zealand Food Safety  Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice •  9 Authority  Food                                                                         Maximum Residue Level 
(mg/kg)  
Japan Mammalian muscle  
Mammalian fat  
Mammalian liver  
Mammalian kidney  
Mammalian edible offal  
Milk 0.01 
0.03 
0.03 0.03 
0.03 
0.03 
United States  Cattle , horse, and sheep  by-products  
Cattle, horse, and sheep fat 
Cattle, horse, and sheep kidney  
Cattle, horse, and sheep liver 
Cattle , horse,  and sheep meat  
Milk  0.03 
0.03 
0.03 
0.03 
0.01 
0.03 
3.2 Proposal to delete the Notice entry for warfarin  
It is proposed that  the following entry is deleted from Schedule 1 of the Notice:  
Compound 
Common Name  CAS#  Residue to which the 
maximum residue level 
applies Food  Maximum Residue 
Level (mg/kg)  
Warfarin  81-81-2 Warfarin  Any food  0.001(*)  
(*) indicates that the maximum residue level has been set at or about the limit of analytical quantification.  
3.2.1 Amendment Rationale  
The deletion is being proposed because the compound is no longer used as an agricultural 
compound in New Zealand, with the la st registered agricultural compound containing warfarin  
de-registered in 2005 . Warfarin  MRLs are therefore no longer required to manage the use of 
the compound in New Zealand.   
3.3 Proposal to set  an entry for diatomaceous earth  in Schedule 3 
It is proposed that diatomaceous earth is added to Schedule 3 of the Notice to identify it as a  
veterinary medicine to which no MRL applies when the compound is used as a veterinary 
medicine.  
Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring soft, siliceous sedimentary rock composed of the fossilised remains of diatoms, a type of hard -shelled microalgae.  Diatomaceous earth is not 
pharmacologically active,  with its efficacy  as an adsorbent and anti -parasitic  arising from its 
porous physical form. It is not systemically absorbed and consequently residues are not expected to be present in animal commodities following its use as a veterinary medicine.  
The proposed new entry in Schedule 3 will read as follows:  
Substance CAS#  Condition  
Diatomaceous earth n/a When used as a veterinary medicine   
10 • Proposals to Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds) Food Notice New Zealand Food Safety  3.4 Proposal to set  an entry for gonadorelin in Schedule 3 
It is proposed that  gonadorelin is added to Schedule 3 of the N otice to identify it as a veterinary 
medicine to which no MRL applies.  Gonadorelin is a synthetic agonist of gonadotropin-
releasing hormone used in food -producing animals to manage fertility status.  When 
administered  to ruminants  as a veterinary medicine, gonadorelin is rapidly absorbed,  
metabolised, and excreted, leaving no residues in animal commodities or at the injection site 
within 24 hours of treatment. As such, MRLs are not required to manage residues or food 
safety.  
The proposed new entry in Schedule 3 will read as follows:  
Substance CAS#  Condition  
Gonadorelin  33515 -09-2 When used to manage reproduction  
3.5 Proposal to set  an entry for sepiolite in  Schedule 3 
It is proposed that  sepiolite is added to Schedule 3 of the N otice to identify it as a veterinary 
medicine to which no MRL applies. Sepiolite is a naturally occurring fibrous phyllosilicate clay 
mineral of sedimentary origin composed of hydrated magnesium silicate.  Sepiolite is not 
pharmacologically active,  with its efficacy as a mycotoxin binder arising from its highly porous 
physical  form. It is not systemically absorbed and consequently residues are not expected to 
be present in the produce of animals.    
The proposed new entry in Schedule 3 will read as follows:  
Substance CAS#  Condition  
Sepiolite  n/a When used as an orally administered mycotoxin 
binder