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What is an inhibitor?
An inhibitor is a substance, mix of substances or biological compound which mitigates adverse impacts of an agricultural activity on the environment, or mitigating emissions that contribute to climate change relating to plants or animals.
Inhibitors must be categorised as either agricultural chemicals or veterinary medicines. This is based on how they are to be used:
- Agricultural chemical-based inhibitors: These are inhibitors applied to pasture or feed crops, or crops that may be used as animal feed. This would include the situation where animals would graze the treated crop or forage.
- Veterinary medicine-based inhibitors: These are inhibitors administered directly to the animal, such as a vaccine, in-feed or in-water treatment, or bolus.
The requirements for registering some inhibitor products
Anyone who wishes to import, manufacture, or sell a methane, urease, or nitrification inhibitor may need to have it registered under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act 1997. This will change to all types of inhibitor products once the ACVM Act is amended. Registration is to:
- identify and manage any risks that agricultural compounds (like inhibitors) could pose for public health, agricultural security, animal welfare, and trade of primary produce
- ensure that products are correctly labelled.
MPI will take the appropriate regulatory action if you import, market, or sell an unauthorised inhibitor product that requires registration.
Registering an inhibitor product can involve substantial technical expertise and input. If you or your company have limited experience of ACVM regulations and processes, you should consider employing a consultant to help you.
One-page summary of registration process
While we encourage you to read through all the guidance on this page before making an application, we've also prepared a one-page summary of the ACVM application process.
ACVM inhibitor registration process [PDF, 142 KB]
Documents about inhibitor registration and regulations
Guide to the new rules for inhibitors (2023) [PDF, 734 KB]
Regulatory control of agricultural compounds in New Zealand [PDF, 322 KB]
Overview of risk management under the ACVM Act 1997 [PDF, 269 KB]
ACVM inhibitor frequently asked questions [PDF, 378 KB]