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Proposed amendments to the New Zealand Food Notice: Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds

Update – 6 August 2025

Updated food notice published

During the last round of MRL proposals, New Zealand Food Safety received over 3,100 submissions on the proposal to increase the MRLs for glyphosate in wheat, barley, oats and field peas (dry). Based on this, we are still considering our decision on the proposed glyphosate MRLs. Rather than delay a decision on the other MRL proposals, we have processed them separately with the revised notice in place as of 31 July 2025, the glyphosate entry in the notice remains unchanged.

A summary of submissions will be published at a later date.

The current Food Notice: Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds:

Maximum residue levels (MRLs) for agricultural compounds - Food notice [PDF, 816 KB]

Consultation background

New Zealand Food Safety sought your feedback about changes to the New Zealand Food Notice: Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds. The proposed changes included:

  • 2 new entries for maximum residue levels in Schedule 1
  • 12 amended entries for maximum residue levels in Schedule 1.

Full details are in the consultation document. Submissions closed at 5pm on 16 May 2025.

Consultation document

Proposals to amend the New Zealand Food Notice: Maximum Residue Levels for Agricultural Compounds [PDF, 494 KB]

Related documents

WTO notification – NZL 783 – SPS notification – Proposals to Amend the Maximum Residue Levels [PDF, 203 KB]

Background information about MRLs

Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) are the maximum legal levels for residues of agricultural chemicals and veterinary medicines in food for sale in New Zealand. As new products and uses are registered, new MRLs are set and existing MRLs are adjusted as needed to ensure that residue levels remain as low as practicable without compromising the ability for the chemical to successfully do what is intended. Entries are also set and amended for compounds that do not require MRLs to manage residues in food.

The entries in the notice for MRLs and compounds for which MRLs do not apply are established for agricultural compounds to support Good Agricultural Practice in New Zealand while ensuring risks associated with food safety are effectively managed. MRLs may also be proposed to support the importation of food into New Zealand.

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

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