WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/NZL/350 
21 April 2006 
 (06-1835) 
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 number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):   
The NZFSA proposes to amend the New Ze aland (Maximum Residue Limits of 
Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 2005 (No. 2) by adding the following new MRLs 
and exemptions.   
The proposed new MRLs are: 
• 0.01mg/kg for azoxystrobin on onions, 0.02mg/kg for azoxystrobin on peas 
(without pods) and 0.02mg/kg for azoxystrobin on potatoes; 
• 0.01mg/kg for fipronil on onions; 
• 0.01 mg/kg for fluoxastrobin on cereal grains; 
• 1.0 mg/kg for imidacloprid on lettuce; 
• 0.05mg/kg for iprovalicarb on onions and 0.05mg/kg for iprovalicarb on potatoes; 
• 0.02mg/kg for prothioconazole on cereal grains; 
• 0.05mg/kg for spinosad on citrus fruits; and 
• 0.02mg/kg for thiacloprid on stone fruits (except cherries). 
The proposed MRL exemptions are: 
• Agrobacterium radiobacter  when used as a beneficial bacterium in the treatment 
and prevention of crown gall infections; 
• Bacillus subtilis  when used as a fungicide or bactericide on food producing plant 
species; 
• Beauvaria bassiana  when used as an insecticide for th e control of aphids, thrips and 
whitefly on food producing plant species; 
• bronopol when used as an anti-microbial agent for farmed salmonids and farmed 
salmonid eggs. 
• Cydia pomonella granulosis virus when used as an insecticide for the control of 
coddling moth larvae for food producing plant species; and  
• fish oil (food grade) when used as a fungicide or insecticide on all food producing 
plant species.   
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 and MRL exemptions are 
proposed in relation to produce intended for e xport to New Zealand (refer also to section 8).  G/SPS/N/NZL/350 
Page 2  
 
  5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  New Zealand Food 
Safety Authority:  New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) 
Food Standards 2005 (No. ):  WTO Consu ltation: April/May/June 2006 (Available in 
English, 30 pages).  
6. Description of content:  The document contains technical details on proposals to amend 
the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 
2005 (No. 2), as set out in section 3.   
7. Objective and rationale: [ X ] food safety,  [ X ] animal health,  [   ] 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 identify deviations:   
Clause 7 of the New Zealand (Maximum Resi due Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food 
Standards 2005 (No. 2) (the domestic MR L 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 dom estic 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 Agricultura l Compounds) Food Standards 2005 (No. 2) 
(English).  
10. Proposed date of adoption:  20 July 2006  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  17 August 2006   G/SPS/N/NZL/350 
 Page 3 
 
 
  12. Final date for comments:  21 June 2006  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] 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 4 463 3416;  Fax:  +64 4 463 2583;  E-mail:  policy@nzfsa.govt.nz
 
Website:  http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/policy-law/consultation/index.htm  
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Sally Griffin 
Coordinator, SPS New Zealand  PO Box 2526  
101-103 The Terrace 
Wellington New Zealand Tel:  +64 4 819 0431;  Fax:  +64 4 819 0731;  E-mail:  sps@maf.govt.nz
  
Website: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/sps/tr ansparency/notifications/index.htm