Staff updates

The Veterinary Medicines Assessments team are currently recruiting for two advisers. These positions are advertised here: Adviser Veterinary Medicines [Seek]. We are seeking interest from candidates with a Veterinary Medicine degree and clinical experience in production animals.

We are pleased to announce that the new Team Manager Assessments - Veterinary Medicines will start 25 August, following Stacey Northover’s departure in May. We will introduce the new manager next month.

AMR team update

New Antimicrobial Resistance e-learning module
The Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) team is delighted to announce that a new AMR e-learning course is now available on the Veterinary Council of New Zealand’s website and is free for New Zealand-registered veterinarians. We encourage you to share with any veterinarians in your team who would like to refresh their knowledge on AMR, antimicrobial stewardship, and the rules around using antibiotics in New Zealand - and gain free continuing professional development. The module only takes around 1 hour to complete and includes links to useful AMR resources.

AMR Stakeholder Group
The AMR Stakeholder Group met on 16 July for their second meeting of 2025. The meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to share progress on their AMR-related activities, including communication plans. An important outcome of these meetings is that sector groups identify areas in which their AMR work programmes cross over, and where they can work collaboratively. 

AMR Research Forum
The AMR team, in collaboration with Public Health & Forensic (PHF) Science (formerly the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR)), will be hosting another lunchtime AMR Research Forum webinar on Monday, 25 August from 12 to 1pm. 

Register for the webinar here.

The two guest speakers at the August forum are: 

• Max Bloomfield from Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand, who will speak about an AMR surveillance database for human health, and 
• Adrian Cookson and Rose Collis from AgResearch, who will discuss land-use drivers of AMR in surface waters.

The AMR Research Forum provides a platform for AMR researchers to come together every second month to hear about AMR research in New Zealand across all sectors. The aim of the forum is to foster collaboration among AMR researchers and help inform research gaps and disseminate findings from existing research. 

AMR Award
Nominations for the inaugural New Zealand Food Safety AMR Award are open until 27 September 2025. Find out more about the award on the MPI website.  

AMR surveillance data from cat and dog urinary tract infections published
AMR surveillance data collected as part of the AMR team’s national AMR resistance surveillance has been used to publish a research article in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal on the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolated from New Zealand canine and feline urinary tract samples.

The article, developed between MPI and the three main veterinary laboratories, Awanui, IDEXX and SVS, includes results of antimicrobial susceptibility data collected over a 16-month period from May 2022. The article provides information on the most commonly isolated bacteria from canine and feline urinary tract infections, and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles. The information will be useful for companion animal veterinarians to help inform empirical antibiotic authorisation decisions for cats and dogs with urinary tract infections. It also shows the value of undertaking culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Inhibitor update

The Inhibitor Operational Forum (IOF) meeting was held on 30 July, with 41 attendees. The forum has grown to 46 member organisations. The IOF meeting discussed accelerating new mitigations, Codex and international settings, and the current ACVM regulation consultation. MPI advised that the consultation has been extended and will close 5pm 11 August 2025.  

The ACVM team also presented a refreshed ACVM efficacy standard to support qualitative label claims, which will be circulated for a final round of targeted consultation end August/early September. The permanent solution to bring all inhibitor products into the ACVM Act, by amending the definition of an agricultural compound to include inhibitors, will be finalised via the Regulatory Systems (Primary Industries) Amendment Bill. The Bill is currently at Committee of the Whole of House stage in Parliament.

Compliance  update 

ACVM compliance received 48 reports of potential or confirmed non-compliant ACVM products and activities in July, and 224 reports have been received to date:

Agricultural chemicals application update

As of the end of July, there were: 

• 31 applications in the queue 
• 47 applications in appraisal 

In the queue, there are: 

• 13 new product applications (11 A-Type and 2 B-Type) 
• 13 new-use or use-change applications
• 4 deviation application 
• 1 data assessment 

There are no chemistry and manufacturing variation applications in the queue. 

Veterinary medicine application update

As of the end of July, there were: 

• 44 applications in the queue 
• 112 applications in appraisal (34 of these are C10-Reassessment applications)

In the queue, there are: 

• 18 new product applications (10 A-Type and 8 B-Type) 
• 7 new-use or use-change applications 
• 15 chemistry & manufacturing change applications
• 2 deviation application 
• 2 operating plans 

ACVM applications approved in July 2025

Chlorpyrifos products

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has revoked Hazardous Substances & New Organisms (HSNO) approvals for chlorpyrifos, with varying phase out dates.

If you have an affected product, the ACVM team will notify you closer to the time regarding cancellation. Should you wish to cancel your product earlier than this, the cancellation can allow for use of the product to continue if required, up until the date that the EPA has specified in their decision. Please note whether you require this along with your request for cancellation.

For further information, or to cancel your registration, please contact us at approvals@mpi.govt.nz.

Contact us

ACVM Team, Assurance, New Zealand Food Safety Haumaru Kai Aotearoa

Pastoral House, 25 The Terrace, PO Box 2526, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Email approvals@mpi.govt.nz  

Website Agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines (ACVM) | Agriculture | NZ Government (mpi.govt.nz)

Subscribe to ‘Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines’ and ‘ACVM recalls’ on the Ministry for Primary Industries website to receive email updates on matters relating to ACVM.