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AgVetLink June 2003

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What is the role of AVMAC?

The Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Advisory Council was set up to give balanced and comprehensive advice to the Director of the ACVM Group. It is not a decision-making body but it does form a very important part of the consultation process, given the range of organisations that are represented and the perspectives that they bring to the table.

AVMAC meetings are held every quarter. (The most recent meeting was 22 May 2003, and meetings are to be held 21 August 2003 and 20 November 2003.) ACVM standards, guidelines and operational policies (including changes) are all endorsed at AVMAC meetings as part of the development process. ACVM Group staff are not members of AVMAC but they often attend meetings in order to hear the full discussion by AVMAC of relevant papers and issues because this assists in refining operational policies prior to fuller consultation where this is taking place.

Initially the ACVM Group concentrated on aligning AVMAC membership to the primary purposes of the ACVM Act, namely managing risks to trade in primary produce, animal welfare, and agricultural security. More recently we have added a representative of a consumer organisation to bring a new perspective to the discussions at AVMAC meetings.

The current membership of AVMAC is:

Meriel Watts	Consumer Representative
Tony Ivicevich	Vegetable and Potato Growers
Michael Brooks	Poultry Industry Association
Lindsay Burton	Dairy Insight
John Millar	Meat Industry Association
Donald Hannah	ERMA New Zealand
Richard Kempthorne	Fruitgrowers Federation
Randy Muderwich	Federated Farmers
Murray Gibb	New Zealand Veterinary Association
Jack Richardson	Agcarm Inc
Gabrielle Deuss	Animal Remedies and Plant Protection Association
David Bayvel	National Animal Welfare Advisory Council
Caryll Shailer	MAF Biosecurity Authority
Carole Inkster	NZFSA Policy

We remain aware that there will be further changes in focus over time. 
For this reason we have built in a review of the AVMAC purpose, functions and membership to ensure that it continues to be as effective as possible. The ACVM Group is in the process of conducting this review now that the ACVM Act is almost fully operational. Any comments or suggestions are welcome and should be forwarded to Gill Wilson (gill.wilson@nzfsa.govt.nz).

Have your say on proposed HSNO and ACVM Act changes

In February 2003 the Government announced proposals to amend the HSNO Act and related Acts – this includes the ACVM Act. The New Organisms and Other Matters Bill was introduced into Parliament on 29 April 2003 to amend laws governing new organisms, particularly organisms arising from the use of genetic modification. 
Parliament referred the Bill to a Select Committee for in-depth consideration before it reports back to Parliament on 5 September 2003.

The Education and Science Committee has called for submissions on the New Organisms and Other Matters Bill.
The closing date for sub-missions is Friday, 13 June 2003.

The Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives has prepared information on making a submission to a Select Committee.
To help you prepare your submission, the Ministry for the Environment has drawn up a Guide to the New Organisms and Other Matters Bill, which outlines the issues and the relevant clauses in the Bill.

For further information about the Bill and how it was developed, visit the Ministry for the Environment’s website (www.mfe.govt.nz).

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON FEES – SEE PAGE 6.