Staff updates

We're currently recruiting for four Specialist Adviser Assessment roles focused on evaluating novel agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines. These exciting opportunities include three positions in the Agricultural Chemicals team and one position in the Veterinary Medicines team.

If you know someone with the right expertise and passion for regulatory science, we'd love your help spreading the word. Please share these opportunities with your networks:

Agricultural Chemicals: https://careers.mpi.govt.nz/jobs/MPI26-1930901

Veterinary Medicines: https://careers.mpi.govt.nz/jobs/MPI26-1931638

ACVM Annual Workshop brings the sector together

We had a full house for this year’s ACVM Annual Workshop at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on 21 July, bringing regulators and industry together to discuss current and emerging priorities.

Karen Booth, Director ACVM, shared an update on ACVM priorities and presented on strengthening the external data assessor framework and the use of international regulators’ assessments. Vicki Melville provided an update on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including antibiotic sales trends and work underway to strengthen AMR data.

Guest speakers Dr Shaun Presow from the Environmental Protection Authority and Lee Metcalf from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority shared updates and perspectives from their respective organisations.

We also had our Approvals Operations team on site with a booth, giving attendees the chance to ask questions and meet the people who receive and process their applications.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed.

You can find the workshop slides here.

Off Label Minor Crops announced at the Horticulture New Zealand Conference

ACVM has launched a new process to support growers and farmers of minor crops, announced by the Minister ahead of the Horticulture New Zealand Conference on 28 July 2026.

The new pathway allows a person to request a Maximum Residue Level for a minor crop based on an existing Codex MRL for a registered product, even where that crop is not included on the product label. This will provide growers with greater flexibility in how registered products can be used, including application timing and rates.

Developed in collaboration with industry, particularly Horticulture New Zealand, this initiative aims to improve access to crop protection tools for minor crop sectors while maintaining food safety standards.

Find out more:  Using Codex MRLs for off-label product use on minor crops | NZ Government.

Warren Hughes answering a question from the Chair Livia Esterhazy (A Lighter Touch) at the Horticulture Conference, along with other panel members Bruno Gatimel (A Lighter Touch), Qinhua Shen (Hort NZ) and Shaun Presow (EPA).

AMR team update

New subscription option for the AMR Research Forum

We've introduced a newsletter subscription option to help you stay informed about upcoming AMR Research Forums.

The forum is an informal, bi-monthly meeting for AMR researchers across New Zealand, designed to foster collaboration, share research findings, and identify research gaps.

Please share the subscription link with others who may be interested in joining the forum and receiving updates.

Our next forum is scheduled for Monday 21 September, 12-1pm. If you are interested in speaking at the September forum please contact lucy.johnston@mpi.govt.nz

Register for the September AMR Research Forum

Nominations open for the NZFS AMR Award

A reminder that nominations are still open for the New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Award. The award recognises individuals, teams, or organisations that are making a significant contribution to reducing AMR risks in New Zealand through antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, education, monitoring and surveillance, or innovative approaches to reducing antibiotic use.

Nominations close at 5pm on 27 September 2026.

For more information and to submit a nomination, visit the NZFS AMR Award webpage.

New AMR Surveillance Reports Available

Two new AMR surveillance reports are now available, presenting findings from pig surveillance and veterinary laboratory data in New Zealand. These reports provide important information on antimicrobial resistance trends in animal populations and contribute to our ongoing efforts to better understand and respond to AMR across sectors. We encourage stakeholders to explore the reports and share them with colleagues who may be interested in the findings. Access the reports here:

AMR in pigs in New Zealand

Veterinary laboratory surveillance 2023-2025

Compliance update

ACVM Regulatory Programmes received 20 reports of potential non-compliant ACVM products and activities in July 2026, of which:

• 14% were complaints of potentially non-compliant exempt or unregistered ACVM products being advertised and/or sold
• 16% were complaints of potentially non-compliant ACVM registered products being advertised and/or sold
• 38% were notifications of non-complying batches of ACVM registered products released or yet to be released to the market
• 5% were notifications of non-complying batches of exempt ACVM products released or yet to be released to the market
• 27% were international notifications of rapid alerts, recalls or Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) non-compliance reports. The majority of which did not affect ACVM products in New Zealand.

In 2026, 162 events have been received as of 22 July:

Thank you to those who have reported events. If you’re not familiar with the process, here’s what to do:

• If you identify an issue with your product on the market, please notify us via our forms for a registered product or exempt product.
• If you identify a suspected non-compliant ACVM product or activity, please complete our ACVM reporting form and include as much information as possible.

We manage a high volume of reports and prioritise these based on risk and potential impact. While we aim to action all matters promptly, timeframes may vary depending on the nature and urgency of each report and our workload. For more information on how we handle reports of potential non-compliance, please visit https://www.mpi.govt.nz/agriculture/agricultural-compounds-vet-medicines/acvm-non-compliance-and-recalls/non-compliant-acvm-products-or-activities/

Planning a Veterinary Medicine Trial? Apply Early

ACVM has seen an increase in veterinary medicine trial applications being submitted only days before the intended trial start date, with expectations of rapid approval.

Applicants should allow sufficient time for assessment. Trial approvals may require input from multiple MPI teams, including ACVM, Food Risk Management, Biosecurity, Trade, and Approvals teams. Assessment time can be affected by application quality, missing information, trial complexity, and the need for specialist input.

Please also note that all veterinary medicine trials must have Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) approval in place, and ACVM must be notified of that approval before any trial can begin.

While the aim is always to assess these applications as quickly as possible to keep trials on their planned schedule, all trial approval applications submitted under Section 27 of the Act (provisional registrations) are subject to a 40 working day time frame and there is no legislated time frame for applications submitted under section 8c (research approvals).

For more information on veterinary medicine trial approvals, timeframes, and requirements, please see Veterinary Medicine Trial Approvals.

Food Residues Survey Programme (FRSP) 2026/27

New Zealand Food Safety’s (NZFS) Food Residues Survey Programme (FRSP) monitors agricultural chemical residues in commonly consumed plant-based foods grown in New Zealand and imported for sale, providing confidence that agricultural chemicals are being used in accordance with good agricultural practice and that New Zealand requirements are being met. The 2026/27 programme will collect samples from retail and distribution outlets throughout New Zealand and focus on the following commodity groups:

• Citrus fruits
• Berries and other small fruits
• Assorted tropical and sub-tropical fruits – inedible peel
• Fruiting vegetables – cucurbits
• Fruiting vegetables – other than cucurbits

The 2026/27 Sampling Plan is available here: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/72377-FRSP-2026-2027-sampling-plan. For more information, visit the Food Residues Survey Programme webpage or contact residues@mpi.govt.nz.

Stay up to date with the FRSP

To receive notifications about FRSP sampling plans, survey reports and other programme updates, subscribe to MPI's 'Food Act 2014' email topic through the Subscribe to MPI | NZ Government.

Inhibitor update: Inhibitors and Trial approvals

The Regulatory Systems (Primary Industries) Amendment (RSPI) Act came into force on 10 July 2026. Two key changes introduced by this legislation are:

1. the inclusion of inhibitors within the definition of an agricultural compound, and
2. the revocation of the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (Inhibitor Substances) Order 2022.

As a result, all inhibitor substances previously excluded from ACVM regulation are now subject to the ACVM Act.

Consequently, inhibitor substances that were previously out of scope due to the ACVM (Inhibitor Substances) Order now require authorisation under the ACVM Act. For products already on the market, a transition period until 10 July 2027 has been provided to allow applicants time to compile registration data and submit an application. Products must be approved on or before 10 July 2027 to remain on the market.

However, this transition period does not apply to substances undergoing trial work. All new trials involving inhibitor substances commencing on or after 10 July 2026, including new trials undertaken as part of ongoing research and development programmes, must have the appropriate ACVM authorisation in place before the trial begins. Depending on the substance and activities involved, this may be a research approval under section 8C of the ACVM Act, a provisional registration under section 27, or a research, testing, teaching and training (RTT) operating plan under the ACVM Regulations.

Agricultural chemical trials are generally conducted under an RTT operating plan, while veterinary medicine trials are typically conducted under a research approval or provisional registration. More information on these approvals, and any associated approvals required under the Biosecurity Act and/or Animal Products Act, can be found here:

Trials already underway prior to 10 July 2026 can continue as per their existing trial plan, though any further work beyond those studies already in progress will require ACVM approval.

This change was discussed at the 13th Inhibitor Operational Forum, held on 30 July 2026, which was attended by approximately 40 representatives from industry and government. Other topics covered included updates on inhibitor product registrations, progress on associated regulatory amendments, and an overview of the Early Adoption Accelerator (EAA) recently announced by the Government to support the uptake of emissions mitigation technologies.

Agricultural Chemical Unique Method Identifiers for Analytical Methods

Section 5.5 (4) of the ACVM Agricultural Chemicals Chemistry and Manufacturing Guidance Document requires unique method identifiers to be provided for all analytical methods.

When submitting data and completing the PDS, applicants should provide a unique method identifier rather than a general analytical technique or description. For example, "HPLC-UV" or “validated method” is not sufficiently specific. Instead, provide the method code, method number, or other unique reference that can be traced to the relevant method documentation, such as:

• CIPAC method code
• Laboratory method number
• Company-specific analytical method reference

Providing a clear, traceable method reference helps assessors identify the analytical method used and reduces the need for follow-up information requests.

Contact us

ACVM, 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.