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EU Audit

As many of you will be aware, MAF has recently undergone an audit by the European Union. The scope of the audit covered the residue control programmes (including the licensing/registration process, MRL setting and the hormone growth promotant or HGP programme), along with the dairy and meat systems from the farm to the ship.

It is the first time in a number of years that the EU has audited the New Zealand system and this audit was more intensive than any previous ones. MAF was disappointed with some of the results discovered.

The debrief meeting highlighted that the residue programmes (meat, milk and honey) need work and are a key issue. The dairy programme is not satisfactory at the moment but the problems had been recognised and are included in an action plan. The animal products programme (meat and honey) needs work.

New Zealand has ten working days to respond to the draft report before it is finalised. Some of the areas that the ACVM Group will have to review as a result of the audit are:

• the control and checking of veterinary distributors for ethical products;
• the control and checking of veterinary practitioners for ethical products;
• the ‘over the counter’ status of clostridial vaccines;
• the licence status of some products that are banned substances in the EU;
• the conditions for products where the MRL varies between the EU and New Zealand, especially where the New Zealand MRL is higher;
• the ACVM Group part of the HGP programme.

We will be working with a number of affected licensees and stakeholder groups on these issues. Some short-term corrective actions will also be implemented.