3336 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Food Safety

3336 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Food Safety: What measures, if any, will MPI implement to ensure that any ACVM trials conducted on working farms maintain high standards of animal welfare and farm practices due to the proposed ACVM minimal efficacy requirements process, and how, if at all, will the Ministry prevent the risk of negative impacts on farm productivity or animal health due to trials potentially being conducted in a real-world and operational farming environment?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: Part of the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 (ACVM Act) approval for trialling agricultural compounds on animals, is a requirement that the persons undertaking such trial work have animal ethics approvals from an Animal Ethics Committee legislated for under the Animal Welfare Act 1999. This requirement provides an assurance to MPI that the legal requirements of animal use for trials are understood by the applicant. If no animal ethics approval is granted, there is no approval given under the ACVM Act to the applicant to conduct the trials.