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Moratorium on Antibiotics and Importation of Unlicensed Animal Remedies

Moratorium on Antibiotics

We had a number of queries regarding antibiotics following our August issue of AgVetLink. By now all applicants affected should have received a letter clarifying the present situation. The key points are:

• provisional licences are unlikely to be affected;
• technical changes to licenses are unlikely to be affected but applicants should be aware of the possibility of requiring label changes in the future and factor this in when ordering;
• the main impact is on antibiotics that are delivered in the animal’s feed or water.

These applications will be progressed to the point where a decision must be made, pending the outcome of the Animal Remedies Board’s deliberations. Any queries should be addressed to Kieran Galvin (phone: 04 460 8765 or email: galvink@maf.govt.nz).

Importation of Unlicensed Animal Remedies

A recent request to import a hormonal growth promotant that had previously been licensed under the Animal Remedies Act has prompted a clarification of existing policy on importation of hormonal growth promotants.

Basically, no unlicensed hormonal growth promotant may be imported into New Zealand. However, the ACVM Group will issue an import approval for a product if:

• there is no product already licensed in New Zealand that can be used for the particular purpose; and
• that product is essential for the welfare of the animal(s) to be treated.

The import approval will be issued only to a registered veterinarian for use on animals under the direct care of that veterinarian and only if there is a reasonable case made by the veterinarian that the product is essential for the welfare of the animal(s).

The original policy statement has been extended to cover the importation of any animal remedy. Anyone wishing to see the policy can view it on the website under ‘Operational Policies’.