Notification of Consultation: Import Health Standard for Zoo Primates from Australia and The United Kingdom

The New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) must consult with interested parties before issuing or amending (other than of minor nature) import health standards in accordance with Section 22 of the Biosecurity Act (1993) and Biosecurity New Zealand's consultation policy. An import health standard specifies zoosanitary requirements that must be carried out, either in the country of origin or of export, during transit, or in quarantine, before biosecurity clearance can be given for the commodity to enter New Zealand. MAF must ensure that these requirements are technically justified and provide an appropriate level of biosecurity protection.

The following documents are now available for public consultation and comment:

For at least the past decade primates have been regularly sourced from zoos outside Australia for import into Australia and subsequent/immediate re-export to New Zealand, once all the conditions of the NZ IHS were fulfilled.

An Australian government decision in March 2008 determined that under their Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (which includes CITES legislation) it is not legal to import primates into Australia for the purpose of quarantine and re-export. The effect of this decision has been to limit imports of primates into New Zealand to those born and raised in Australia. This population is small and not sufficiently genetically diverse to sustain New Zealand’s captive primate breeding and conservation programme.

The biosecurity risks for primates from Australia and from the UK are equivalent. In regards to country health status, the only difference between Australia & the UK of significance to primates is that Australia is free of bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) and the UK is not. New Zealand is not free of bovine tuberculosis but the IHS for primates from Australia still contains rigorous Tb testing protocols as primates can also be infected with human tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Given that Tb is endemic in New Zealand and these animals may only be imported into permanent containment, the risks are sufficiently managed under the existing requirements.

The IHS requires that all imported primates must come from premises that have been Tb free for at least 2 years; and be under permanent veterinary supervision with a suitable health monitoring programme; and test negative for Tb twice during pre-export isolation.

Comments on these draft documents should be forwarded to MAF by close of business on 29 August 2008. MAF encourages respondents to forward comments electronically to the email address below. However, should you wish to forward submissions in writing, please send them to the address that follows:

  • Sally Aitken
    Border Standards Directorate
    MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
    Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
    PO Box 2526
    Wellington
    New Zealand
  • Fax: +64 4 894 0113
    Email: sally.aitken@maf.govt.nz

Page last updated: 18 July 2008