FAQs related to ISPM 15 - Wood Packaging Material Certification Scheme

Growers should discuss costs with the IVAs, as charges will depend on the circumstances of the production sites to be registered.

This provides additional assurance to MAF that the information is correct. MAF is willing to look at alternative arrangements for implementation of the exemption. We will discuss this with MAF over the next few months, but at the moment the requirement remains.

We agree that these time-periods need to be defined. The compliance programme has been modified to specify the time periods as follows:

1. Pre-planting - no more than 6 weeks prior to intended planting date

2. Pre-harvest - A minimum of 12 weeks after planting or, for early plantings, 12 weeks after the mean soil temperature reaches 12^oC.

3. Pots-harvest - no more than 5 days after harvest.

Yes, at the grower’s risk. If PCN is found the production site will be removed from the programme.

If two blocks of land with separate property valuation numbers are to be considered one property (for example so that several paddocks on the two blocks can be registered as one production site) they must be contiguous - touching or adjoining. The boundaries of the properties must touch. If there is a farm track running down the boundary and the boundaries touch it is adjoining.

If there is a road between the boundaries (as owned by the local council or transit New Zealand) then they are not adjoining.

This space on the registration form is for the ROP number that many South Island growers use. We have changed the form to indicate “Farm ROP number (if known)”.

In most cases the costs of taking samples or fork sampling will be the same, as 100 soil cores/4 Ha are required. However a separate laboratory test for PCN is required for each production site. Growers need to balance costs against the consequences of PCN being found on a production site (and it being rejected from the programme).

In the diagram in Question 1 (above), a grower could register paddocks 4,6, and 7 as one production site. If PCN is found in paddock 7 all three paddocks are removed from the programme (and may not be re-entered in subsequent years). If they are registered as 3 production sites, only paddock 7 would be removed.

The registration form has now been updated to allow operators to indicate that they are registering for Taiwan.

Yes. The intention of this section is that potatoes not cleared for Taiwan are not packed at the same time as those that are cleared for Taiwan. The wording of this section has been changed.

We have checked the Taiwan requirements. These state that the potatoes must be segregated in storage. We have therefore removed the word “packed” from section 4.2.2.1 and now say to “segregate potatoes for Taiwan from others in the storage facility”. we have also reduced the segregation distance to 100mm.

The normal 600 unit phytosanitary inspection applies, with no detections of live pests in the sample.

The registration form has been updated to allow the category of seed to be stated for each production site.

The grower decides what surveys are needed. We have now updated the registration form to allow the grower to nominate the type of survey required for each production being registered.

Sites 4 and 6 are still eligible for export, but cleaning procedures must be put into immediate effect for any machinery moving from site 7. The reason for this is that PCN cysts are stimulated to hatch by young root growth. Any cysts transferred by clods of soil to sites 4 & 6 would be unlikely to emerge and present a significant risk in the current export season. If 4 &6 are registered for Taiwan, all machinery will have been cleaned between sites.

If you wish to take any animal or plant matter out of New Zealand, please contact the Consulate of the country of destination for up to date information on import requirements.

If the goods require a PC (Phytosanitary Certificate) Plants Phytosanitary Certification, you must bring the produce to the MAF Aircargo Clearance Centre.
Phone + 64 9 256 8691 or + 64 9 256 0145 for Plant/Produce enquires, or + 64 4 473 8996 for Animal/Animal Product enquires. These goods will be inspected and, if in acceptable condition, you will receive an IPC signed by an authorised Quarantine Officer to show to the Agriculture Department upon arrival in the country of destination.

Customs will collect the new levy on behalf of MAF, using existing systems and reducing duplication of government resources.

The biosecurity risk screening levy will be applied to all goods that attract Customs' import entry transaction fee. The import entry transaction fee is charged on commercial imports with duty and/or GST liability of $50 or more, and on private imports of good with a value of $1,000 or more and a duty and/or GST liability of $50 or more.

The biosecurity risk screening levy will be collected by Customs and billed on the same invoice sent to importers for the import entry transaction fee, duty and GST.

Payment conditions for the levy will be the same as for the import entry transaction fee. Levies invoiced in a given month will be payable in the following month under Customs' normal terms of business with each levy payer. Alternatively, for cash payments, goods will not be released until the levy is paid.

This levy is part of a whole-of-government response to border management, which will result in more effective goods clearance at the border. It is a fairer, more consistent charge on importers and is significantly lower than the previous charge of $28.70 (GST inclusive) on identified risk goods.

Automated risk assessment of all import documentation will fund biosecurity screening for goods coming into New Zealand. It will also reduce MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance's administrative tasks, thus freeing up extra inspection capability without additional cost to industry.

Using Customs' existing systems to collect the levy will help reduce compliance costs to importers by providing one invoice statement from two government agencies.

MAF is improving procedures for assessing imported goods for biosecurity risk. Under the 2003 Regulations, risk assessment on import documentation is performed manually and MAF recovers the cost through an import documentation fee. This fee has been applied to risk goods only, but all imported goods need to be assessed for risk.

MAF screens all imported goods for the risk they pose to New Zealand. The biosecurity risk screening levy 2006 will be a new cost to importers who have previously not been charged the import documentation fee. Import entries identified as non- risk goods (such as shrink wrapped television sets) will be given a biosecurity clearance with no delay and no further cost beyond the biosecurity risk screening levy. Imported goods considered to be a risk will be identified for further consideration by MAF.

The Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2003 have been in place since May 2003 and charges have not been amended since then. The new charges reflect current costs and changes in MAF’s operations. In its provision of cargo clearance services, MAF needs to:

• Ensure that any changes in practices required at the border are adequately cost recovered;
• Avoid under and over recovery of costs over time;
• Ensure charges remain fair and equitable.

The key changes are:

• An increase in the MAF hourly rate inspection charge to $100 per hour;
• A new method of charging to recover costs relating to the primary screening of import documentation; a biosecurity risk screening levy of $3.38 will be charged on all imported goods that attract New Zealand Customs Service's import entry transaction fee. The biosecurity risk screening levy replaces the current inspection of import documentation fee from 1 October 2006. The levy will be collected by Customs on behalf of MAF.
• A new method of charging to pay for sea container clearance system costs and the increased monitoring and verification activities required by the revised import health standard for sea containers; A levy will be charged on all imported sea containers of $16 for full sea containers and $7 for empty containers.
• The number of categories of inspection charges for used vehicles has been reduced from 15 to four and the fee structure has been simplified. Inspection and re-inspection of used vehicles will be charged at the same rates.

After the release of its discussion paper Border Clearance Costs and Organism Identification Requirements in April 2006, MAF found that it needed to make modifications to some of its proposals outlined in that discussion paper in light of the consultation feedback received and changes in trade volumes and some costs. The reasons for this were:

• The volume of used vehicles, containers and general cargo had fallen further than anticipated;
• The Office of the Auditor- General had released its report on Managing biosecurity risks associated with high-risk sea containers recommending that MAF undertake additional work on containers;
• Some further costs had been identified.

Consequently, the shipping container levy was increased to enable more work to be undertaken on sea containers and the biosecurity risk screening levy was increased to fund more risk profiling effort and systems development as recommended by the Office of the Auditor-General report and further internal work. The hourly inspection rate was also increased slightly to ensure sustainability of the fees for the next 3 years.

The new charges under the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2006 become effective from 7 September 2006. Imported goods that land in New Zealand and require biosecurity clearance from 7 September onwards will be charged the fees contained in the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2006.

Importers will be able to pay in cash for fees incurred under the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2006.

A charge for waiting time will be applied in the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2006. This is payable at the applicable hourly rate for a MAF inspector or veterinary inspector for the time each inspector spends in waiting for the goods to become available.

Those being charged can minimise charges by ensuring compliance with the required standards and thus avoid additional inspections. Importers/transitional facilities can minimise charges by ensuring that risk goods are available for inspection at the time that has been booked, and that labour is provided for unpacking and repacking goods. Transitional facilities also need to be kept to the required standard.

Organism identification is costly work and the fees in the 2003 Regulations charged by the MAF Investigation and Diagnostic Centres (IDCs) did not reflect the true cost of the organism identification work. The fees for the identification of organisms provided by MAF IDCs are not set by the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2006 but are contestable and subject to market forces. Where MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance Service inspectors undertake an organism identification, this would be charged at $100 per hour.

MAFBNZ will apply the following organism identification charging policy for the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2006:

• Organism identification required for risk profiling and other information gathering making purposes will be funded by the Crown;
• Importers will be required to pay for organism identification only where it is required to determine whether goods can be cleared for entry into New Zealand. The organism identification charge will be applied to all organisms, ie, regulated and non-regulated.

Travel zones fees have been introduced to ensure consistency nation-wide and to provide transparency for such fees. There are four zones. Each zone has been calculated to account for a return trip from the base site. MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance Service has developed zone maps for each key location:

• Zone 1: $45 0-10 km radius
• Zone 2: $70 11-25 km
• Zone 3: $140 26-50 km
• Zone 4: $200 51-75km

Travel over 75 km is charged on the hourly rate of the inspector for the time that he or she has spent away from base, plus actual and reasonable costs. A zone fee will be applied for each visit. Where more than one inspection is undertaken during the same visit, the zone fee will be shared. If a subsequent re-inspection is required, then an extra zone fee will apply.

MAF anticipates that the new charges will stay in force for at least 3 years. The biosecurity risk screening levy, the shipping container levy and used vehicle inspection fees in the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2006 are subject to memorandum accounting. Memorandum accounting means that if for example, trade volumes were to increase and MAF was to earn more funds than needed, excess funds can be carried forward to cover costs for the following year.

The biosecurity risk screening levy 2006 will not come into effect until 1 October 2006 in order to align with New Zealand Customs Service's monthly billing cycle to importers. In the intervening period, the import documentation fee of $28.70 (GST inclusive) will apply.

The Quarantine Declaration should contain the information shown on the sample quarantine declaration in the import health standard for sea containers (go to www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/cont-carg to obtain a copy of the standard).

The Quarantine Declaration must:

• Specify the container numbers.
  • Each declaration may be for one or multiple sea containers.
  • A list of containers covered by the QD may be on an attachment. There must be some linkage between this list and the front page containing the questions. (i.e. Pages 1 of 2 and 2 of 2 or commonly numbered documents.)
• Answer all of the questions shown on the sample quarantine declaration (in the standard). The questions do not have to be in the same sequence as they appear on the sample.
• Conclude with the name and signature of the person making the declaration.
  • Stamped or electronic signatures are acceptable.
• Be dated.

The following are not compulsory but are desirable:

The Quarantine Declaration should:

• Be on supplier letterhead paper (or stamped with a company seal).
• Specify a vessel and voyage number (if known by the declarant).
• Show the designation of the person signing.

Please note:

• Translations of the quarantine declaration in 19 different languages are also available on the website listed above. Please note that these forms are displayed for information purposes only and the English version must be presented prior any container entering into New Zealand.
• Australian "Packing Declaration" certificates are not accepted in lieu of the New Zealand Quarantine declaration.