Draft:Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines

In New Zealand, Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVMs) are compounds that are used by humans to help manage plants or animals in New Zealand. These included agricultural chemicals, veterinary medicines and vertebrate toxic agents. To import, manufacture or sell an ACVM in New Zealand it needs to be authorised under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act of 1997.

The ACVM Act was passed by the New Zealand Parliament in 1997. The primary purpose of the ACVM Act is to manage or prevent risks associated with agriculture compounds. These risks are: 1) risk to public health; 2) risks to trade in primary produce; 3) risks to animal welfare; 4) risks to agricultural security.

While managing these risks the ACVM Act also ensures that use of agricultural compounds does not result in a breach of domestic food residue standards and that consumers have sufficient information to use agricultural compounds safely. This is achieved by ensuring that no agricultural compound may be used, imported, manufactured or sold, unless authorised under the act. Under the ACVM Act, agricultural compounds are either registered with specific conditions or they are exempt from registration so as long as they meet other conditions. The conditions under the Act generally relate to substances, products, systems or people’s behaviour and are either imposed by the Director-General of MPI or via regulations.

The ACVM Act also has a relationship with several other acts and regulates risk management outcomes in the Animal Products Act 1999, the Food Act 2014, the Wine Act 2003, the Animal Welfare Act 1999, the Biosecurity Act 1993, the Medicines Act 1981, and the Hazardous Substances and New Organism Act 1996.

The Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines group (ACVM) of New Zealand is part of the Ministry for Primary Industries and is responsible for the regulation and approval of agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines in New Zealand.