The primary purpose of containment is to prevent the escape of new organisms which have been approved by ERMA New Zealand for:
- importation into New Zealand, or;
- development or field testing in New Zealand.
MAF undertakes inspections of facilities containing new organisms. MAF and ERMA New Zealand have jointly approved facility "standards" which specify the structural and operating requirements for these different types of containment facility.
| Containment Facility Standards |
|---|
| Facilities for Microorganisms and Cell Cultures:2007 (e.g. bacteria, viruses and fungi) |
| Containment Standard for Field Testing of Farm Animals (e.g. genetically modified cattle and sheep) |
| Containment Facilities for Plants : 2007 |
| Containment Facilities for Vertebrate Laboratory Animals (e.g. genetically modified mice and hamsters) |
| Transitional and Containment Facilities for Invertebrates (e.g. insects) |
| Containment Facilities for Zoo Animals (e.g. lions, meerkats and exotic butterflies) |
The requirements for MAF to ensure that operators of containment facilities comply with approvals under HSNO are contained in: