G/SPS/N/NZL/582  
 
20 September 2018  
(18-5860) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: NEW ZEALAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: Ministry for Primary Industries  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable): Vegetables, fruits, animal products, and other food  
4. Regions or countries likely to  be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: Proposals to Amend the Maximum Residue Levels for 
Agricultural Compounds Food Notice 2018.  Language(s): English.  Number of 
pages:  24 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/SPS/NZL/18_4966_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content: 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/k g (*) 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.  G/SPS/N/NZL/582  
 
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  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 com pounds:  
• 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 deri ves from the presence of thymol.    
f) The amendment of the residue definition for lignocaine.  
The amendment of the residue definition for xylazine.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from  animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) : 
 CAC/GL 84 -2012: Principles and Guidance on the Selection of Representative 
Commodities for the Extrapolation of Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides 
to Commodity Groups  
 CAC/MRL1: Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for Pesticides  
 CAC/MRL2: Maximum Residu e Limits (MRLs) and Risk Management 
Recommendations (RMRs) for Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international stand ard:  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined  G/SPS/N/NZL/582  
 
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  11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined - promulgation will occur once the document 
is finalised post -consultation.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [X ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 19 November 2018  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Mrs Sally Jennings, Coordinator, SPS  New Zealand, PO Box 2526, Wellington, 
New Zealand.  Tel: +(64 4) 894 0431; Fax: +(64 4) 894 0733; E -mail: sps@mpi.govt.nz  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
Mrs Sally Jennings, Coordinator, SPS  New Zealand, PO Box 2526, Wellington, 
New Zealand.  Tel: +(64 4) 894 0431; Fax: +(64 4) 894 0733; E -mail: sps@mpi.govt.nz