Approvals to release biocontrol agents
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Decisions about whether or not beneficial organisms can be released are made by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), and before that by the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA).
The decision-making process used is believed by many to be the best and most thorough in the world.- New Organisms on the EPA website
- New Zealand’s Successful System for Approving Biocontrol Agents (Issue 59 of What’s New in the Biological Control of Weeds? )
- Biological agents approved by the EPA/ERMA to date
All species approved for release must initially come into a containment facility until permission to remove them is granted by MAF pending evidence of their correct identity and freedom from any diseases or other unwanted organisms.