New Zealand's position with regard to BSE

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Ref: AS00-100
1st November 2009

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION WITH REGARD TO BSE

As New Zealand's Director Post-Border I confirm that New Zealand's animal health situation with regard to BSE is as follows.

  • New Zealand has never had a case of BSE and is free from scrapie.
  • There has been a ban on the importation of live cattle from the United Kingdom since December 1988. The importation of live cattle is prohibited from all countries except Australia.
  • New Zealand has never allowed the importation of meat and bone meal for feeding to livestock. New Zealand's livestock industry is primarily pastoral-based. Regulations prohibiting feeding ruminant tissues to ruminants came into force on 1 January 2000. The Regulations replaced a voluntary industry ban which had operated since mid 1996.
  • The importation of bovine semen and embryos from the United Kingdom was prohibited from early 1996 until January 2000 (semen) and June 2001 (embryos), at which time importation was permitted to resume in accordance with the OIE International Animal Health Code.
  • New Zealand's conditions covering the importation of cattle embryos and semen from countries (other than the UK) in which cases of BSE have been reported are based on the OIE International Animal Health Code.
  • New Zealand has a targeted surveillance program to identify BSE, should it occur. The causal agent of BSE is a notifiable organism.

Peter Thomson

Director Post-Border

Page last updated: 3 November 2009