Deferral of Import Health Standard Prioritisation Round 2008/09

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has decided to defer the next Import Health Standard prioritisation round (November 2007 – March/April 2008) in favour of biennial prioritisation.

The transition to a biennial prioritisation was always intended and this was indicated to stakeholders when the system was introduced in 2005. We are doing this now because this year the intended round coincides with the work peaks associated with the Border/Standards Review project.

Both of these activities will demand significant commitment of some of our most experienced staff from across the organisation and, judging from stakeholder feedback, MAF believes that resources are better employed in fixing the system to better meet the needs of our stakeholders than in conducting a prioritisation round this year.

MAF have been working closely with The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) and Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) during the decision process and have their support. The transition to a biennial round will not have significant consequences on New Zealand’s trading commitments.

Finally nothing will change for those work programmes already approved and MAF will continue its co-management activities with industry. MAF intends to maintain commitment to the existing approved work programme (2007/08) and honouring our trading position.

Any concerns on the deferral of the 2008/09 IHS prioritisation round can be made to the following:

Rachelle Linwood
Animal Imports
Rachelle.Linwood@maf.govt.nz

Paul Hallett
Operational Standards
Paul.Hallett@maf.govt.nz

Susan Cooper
Plant Imports
Susan.Cooper@maf.govt.nz

The precise timing of future rounds has not yet been established, however the next Prioritisation round is expected to begin near the end of 2008. MAF remains committed to the Prioritisation process, and regular updates will be given via our import mailing lists.

We are still expecting to receive enquires for the development of Import Health Standards before the next Prioritisation round. Any requests received prior to the next round will be kept on file until the Prioritisation round is about to begin, at which stage the importer will be contacted to confirm they would still like to proceed with their application. Requests for the development of an Import Health Standard can be made to:

Vivian Dalley
Import Standards Group
DDI: +64 4 894 0832
Fax: +64 4 894 0662
Email: Vivian.Dalley@maf.govt.nz

Page last updated: 13 June 2008