---
title: Prohibiting the use of Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials
slug: prohibiting-the-use-of-highest-priority-critically-important-antimicrobials
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-06-19T03:45:05.692Z
---

**Prohibiting the use of Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials reserved by the European Union for use in humans and antimicrobials used off-label as growth promoters**

This Statement prohibits New Zealand veterinarians from authorising or using antimicrobials on the EU reserved list, and antimicrobials for the sole purpose of growth promotion or to increase yield in food producing animals where those animals or their animal products will be exported to the EU.

## Background

Food producing animals and food produced from these animals **must not** be treated:

1. with antimicrobials solely for growth promotion or yield increase, or
2. with antimicrobials reserved by the EU for use in humans.

Because it is not possible to determine at the time of antimicrobial use whether a food-producing animal or food produced from those animals will ultimately be exported to the EU until the point of export, the restrictions outlined in this Statement must be applied universally to all such animals in New Zealand to ensure compliance with EU import requirements.

The EU published list of antimicrobials of significance to human health (the EU reserved list: Antimicrobials or groups of antimicrobials reserved for treatment of certain infections in humans) is in Appendix 1 of this Statement.

The EU reserved list does not, at the time of writing this Statement, contain any antimicrobials registered for veterinary use in New Zealand.

Ionophores are included in the EU’s definition of antimicrobial products and must not be used solely for growth promotion or yield increase purposes.

Food producing animals for the purposes of this Statement and New Zealand’s exports means; Bovine, ovine, caprine and cervine species. It also means farmed aquaculture species e.g. Finfish. It excludes equine, porcine and avian species because New Zealand does not export these species or their products as food to the EU.

Compliance with this Statement is essential for MPI export health certification to the EU.

## Statement

For all antimicrobials Veterinarians must:

- only use or specify antimicrobials in situations where antimicrobials are needed to protect the animal’s health and welfare, and in situations where veterinarians use antimicrobials off-label:
- The medicine must be expected, with discretionary (off-label) use, to meet the treatment and welfare needs of the animal(s).

For all antimicrobials on the EU reserved list (see Appendix 1) veterinarians must **not under any circumstance**:

- use or specify the use of an ingredient that is listed in the **EU Reserved List **in food producing animals – refer to Appendix 1 of this Statement.

**EU Reserved List: **[Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1255 of July 2022](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32022R1255)

## Appendix 1

***EU reserved list***

### *Annex 3 Antimicrobials or groups of antimicrobials reserved for treatment of certain infections in humans:*

### (1 ) *Antibiotics*

*(a) Carboxypenicillins*

*(b) Ureidopenicillins*

*(c) Ceftobiprole*

*(d) Ceftaroline*

*(e) Combinations of cephalosporins with beta-lactamase inhibitors*

*(f) Siderophore cephalosporins*

*(g) Carbapenems*

*(h) Penems*

*(i) Monobactams*

*(j) Phosphonic acid derivates*

*(k) Glycopeptides*

*(l) Lipopeptides*

*(m) Oxazolidinones*

*(n) Fidaxomicin*

*(o) Plazomicin*

*(p) Glycylcyclines*

*(q) Eravacycline*

*(r) Omadacycline*

### *(2) Antivirals*

*(a) Amantadine*

*(b) Baloxavir marboxil*

*(c) Celgosivir*

*(d) Favipiravir*

*(e) Galidesivir*

*(f) Lactimidomycin*

*(g) Laninamivir*

*(h) Methisazone/metisazone*

*(i) Molnupiravir*

*(j) Nitazoxanide*

*(k) Oseltamivir*

*(l) Peramivir*

*(m) Ribavirin*

*(n) Rimantadine*

*(o) Tizoxanide*

*(p) Triazavirin*

*(q) Umifenovir*

*(r) Zanamivir*

### *(3) Antiprotozoals*

*(a) Nitazoxanide*



***

:::Changelog{title="Updates"}
::ChangelogItem{type="added" description="Published 19 June 2025"}
:::