Approvals to release biocontrol agents
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.