WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/NZL/401 
3 June 2008  
 (08-2588) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  NEW ZEALAND
  
If applicable, name of local government involved:     
2. Agency responsible:  New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numb er(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable :  Any 
countries using any of the compounds for whic h the new MRLs are proposed in relation to 
produce/commodities intended for export to New Zealand (refer al so to section 8). 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  New Zealand Food Safety 
Authority: Proposals to Amend th e New Zealand (Maximum Resi due Limits of Agricultural 
Compounds) Food Standards 2008: 30 May 2008 (a vailable in English, 31 pages) 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2008/sps/NZL/08_1585_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  NZFSA proposes to add the followi ng nine MRLs to Schedule One 
of the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits  of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 
2008:  
• 0.0003mg/kg for chloramphenicol in any food; • 0.3mg/kg for chlorantraniliprole in brassica vegetabl es and pomefruit; 
• 0.05mg/kg for cymoxanil in garlic, onions and potatoes; • 1mg/kg for cyprodinil in strawberries;  
• 1mg/kg for fludioxinil in strawberries; 
• 0.2mg/kg for formetanate hydrochloride in onions; • 0.15mg/kg for lincomycin in cattle milk; • 0.02mg/kg for myclobutanil in  cucurbits (inedible peel); 
• 1.5mg/kg for neomycin in cattle milk as a replacement for 0.5mg/kg for neomycin in 
cattle milk;  and 
• 0.05mg/kg for spinosad in tomatoes as a replacement for 0.01mg/kg for spinosad in 
tomatoes. 
NZFSA proposes to add the following MRL exempti ons to Schedule Three of the Standards:  
Chlorhexidine and its digluconat e salt when applied as a topical antiseptic to all food 
producing species except fish. 
The document contains technical details on pr oposals to amend the New Zealand (Maximum 
Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) F ood Standards 2008, as set out in section 3. G/SPS/N/NZL/401 
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  7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health,  [ X ] plant protection, [  
 ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests    
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly id entify deviations:  Clause 6 of the New Zealand (Maximum 
Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds ) Food Standards 2008 (the domestic MRL 
standards) states, inter alia, that: 
• food containing residues of agricultural  compounds up to but not exceeding the 
domestic MRL standards may be sold in New Zealand;  and 
• food containing residues of agricultural  compounds not exceeding 0.1mg/kg, where 
that agricultural compound is not listed in  the domestic MRL standard, or that 
compound is not listed in the domestic MRL standard in relation to that food (type, 
kind or class), may be sold in New Zealand. 
Imported food may be sold in New Zealand provided that it complies with either the 
conditions above, or may contain residues of  an agricultural compound no greater than the 
maximum residue limits specified for that compound and that food (type, kind or class) in the 
current editions or supplements of th e FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission 
publications titled Pesticide Residues in Food or Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods . 
9. Relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:   New Zealand 
(Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 2008 (Available in 
English) 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  14 August 2008   
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  11 September 2008   
12. Final date for comments:  30 July 2008 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
 NZ (MRL) Food Standards  
 Policy Group   New Zealand Food Safety Authority   PO Box 2835  Wellington - New Zealand 
 Tel:  +64 4 894 2500 
 Fax:  +64 4 894 2583  E-mail:  policy@nzfsa.govt.nz  Website:  http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/policy -law/consultation/index.htm
   G/SPS/N/NZL/401 
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  13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notifica tion authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
 Coordinator, SPS New Zealand  
 PO Box 2526   101-103 The Terrace 
 Wellington - New Zealand 
 Tel: +64 4 894 0431  Fax: +64 4 894 0731  E-mail: sps@maf.govt.nz   Website: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/ sps/transparency/no tifications/index.htm