WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/NZL/428 
31 July 2009 
 (09-3729) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Notifying Member:  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):  Maximum residue limits of agricultura l compounds and veterinary medicines 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ X ] All trading partners, or 
[   ] Specific regions or countries:  Any countries using any of the compounds for 
which the new MRLs are proposed in relation to produce or commodities intended for 
export to New Zealand (refer also to section 8).  
5. Title of the notified document:  New Zealand Food Safety Authority:  Proposals to 
Amend the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food 
Standards 2009 (July 2009)  Language:  English  Number of pages:   28   
6. Description of content:  The document referred to in secti on 5 contains technical details 
on proposals to amend the New Zealand (M aximum Residue Limits of Agricultural 
Compounds) Food Standards 2009. 
NZFSA proposes to add the following MRLs  to Schedule one of the New Zealand 
(Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 2009:  
• 0.05mg/kg for abamectin in sheep fat; 
• 0.025mg/kg for abamectin in sheep liver; 
• 0.02mg/kg for abamectin in sheep kidney and sheep meat; 
• 0.02mg/kg for abamectin in cattle fat as a replacement for 0.02mg/kg in mammalian 
fat; 
• 0.015mg/kg for abamectin in cattle liver as a replacement for 0.015mg/kg in liver; 
• 0.01mg/kg for abamectin in cattle meat as a replacement for 0.01mg/kg in meat; 
• 0.5mg/kg for fluquinconazole in mammalian fat; 
• 0.1mg/kg for fluquinconazole in mammalian kidney;  
• 0.2mg/kg for fluquinconazole in mammalian liver; 
• 0.02mg/kgfor fluquinconazole in mammalian meat; G/SPS/N/NZL/428 
Page 2  
 
   • 0.01mg/kg* for fluquinconazole in wheat; 
• 7mg/kg for monepantel in goat fat;  
• 5mg/kg for monepantel in goat liver;  
• 2mg/kg for monepantel in goat kidney;  
• 0.7mg/kg for monepantel in goat meat;  
• 0.4mg/kg for nitroxynil in cattle meat and kidney; 
• 0.2mg/kg for nitroxynil in cattle fat; 
• 0.02mg/kg for nitroxynil in cattle liver; and 
• 0.1mg/kg for spinosad in grapes. 
NZFSA also proposes to add the followi ng MRL exemptions to Schedule two New 
Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 2009. 
• Chlorine dioxide when used as a fungicide on fruit and vegetables;  and 
• Ethyl formate when used as a post-harvest fumigant on cereal grains, fruit, oilseeds 
and vegetables. 
NOTE:  (*) indicates that the maximum residue limit has been set at or about the limit of analytical 
quantification.  
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. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)    
[   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)     
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM N°)     
[   ] 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 standard:  Clause 6 of the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of 
Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 2009 (t he 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 st andard 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.  G/SPS/N/NZL/428 
 Page 3 
 
 
  9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  New Zealand 
(Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards 2009 (available in English) 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  12 October 2009 
Propose date of publication ( dd/mm/yy) :  31 July 2009 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [   ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  9 November 2009 
[   ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [ X ] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  28 September 2009 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National Notification 
Authority, [   ] National Enquiry Point.  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 2692 
Fax:  +(64 4) 894 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.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
Mrs Sally Jennings, Coordinator, SPS Ne w Zealand, PO Box 2526, Wellington, New 
Zealand.  Tel:  +(64 4) 894 0431;  Fax:  +(64 4) 894 0733;  E-mail:  sps@maf.govt.nz  
Website:  http://www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity/sps/tr ansparency/notifications/index.htm