2977 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity

2977 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity: What, if any treatment options are available for managing black spot disease for apple farmers in New Zealand, and how, if at all, is MPI ensuring that farmers have access to effective treatment options?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) administers the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 (ACVM Act). I am advised there are more than 35 different active ingredients, in approximately 115 ACVM registered trade name products, approved for use under the ACVM Act for treatment of black spot in apples. These include preventative treatments as well as curative, and range from products registered for many years, such as captan, mancozeb, and copper, to novel active ingredients, such as penthiopyrad, mefentrifluconazole, and pydiflumetofen approved for use. In addition, under the ACVM Act, other registered products containing different active ingredients may be used off-label for the control of black spot in apples, provided all registration conditions and other legislative controls are complied with.