9 July 2002
Submissions are being sought on proposed changes to the way in which the Ministry of Agriculture (MAF) recovers costs
incurred in the export of live animals, embryos and semen (germplasm).
Currently MAF charges $25 dollars for the issue of an official assurance, which is an export certificate detailing how
New Zealand is meeting the market access requirements of the importing country.
MAF's National Manager International Trade Carolyn Hini said the existing arrangements are no longer financially
sustainable and haven't been for some time.
"This fee does not in anyway reflect the extent of costs or activities involved in complying with overseas market
access requirements for a particular live animal or animal germplasm export.
"A variety of tasks must be completed before we can assure our trading partners that our exports meet their
requirements.
"This can be a time consuming and complex operation that includes the registration of exporters, the accreditation of
staff to undertake fieldwork, identifying and notifying overseas markets, and providing official assurances.
"To rectify this imbalance, MAF proposes to make new cost recovery regulations under the Animal Products Act 1999 which
place a greater emphasis on the responsibility of the exporter to cover costs involved in their activities," she said.
A number of options for cost recovery have been outlined in the discussion paper Animal products Act 1999: Recovery of
MAF costs for facilitating live animals and animal germplasm export activities. These include total cost based on an
hourly rate, a fixed fee per export certificate, cost per number of live animals and animal germplasm, or a combination
of these options.
Ms Hini said that proposed changes would be instrumental in providing a comprehensive export certification process that
will further improve New Zealand's access to international markets in live animal exports.
Electronic copies of the discussion paper are available at www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity/consultation.
Submissions must be received no later than Friday 16 August to:
Ivan Rowe,
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
Wellington.