Risk Management Proposal:  
Amendment to  the Grain and Seeds for 
Consumption, Feed, or Processing  import 
health standard   
GCFP.IHS  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prepared for  public consultation   
by Plant Product Imports Team  
Animal and Plant Health Directorate  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
August  2021 
 
 
Disclaimer  
 
While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate, 
the Ministry  for Primary Industries does not accept any responsibility or liability for e rror of fact, 
omission, interpretation or opinion that may be present, nor for the consequences of any decisions 
based on this information.  
 
This publication is also available on the Ministry for Primary Industries  website at  
http://www.mpi.govt.nz/news -and-resources/publications/   
 
 
© Crown Copyright – Ministry  for Primary Industries   
i Contents  Page 
 
Submissions  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
1 General information  1 
1.1 Purpose  1 
1.2 Background  1 
1.3 Timing and Consultation  1 
1.4 Background and Context to Consultation  1 
2 Scope of the Standard  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
3 Proposed amendment to the Standard  2 
3.1 Removal of import permits for grain/seeds for processing in New Zealand  2 
3.2 Justification for removing  requirement for import permits  3 
3.3 Consequences of the amendment  3  
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment to GCFP.IHS  • 1 1 General  information  
1.1 Purpose  
The purpose of this document is to:  
• Provide relevant background information about the import health standard for grains and 
seeds for consumption, feed , or processing  (the Standard)  
• Identify  the proposed amendments to the requirements for the Standard  
• Provide the rationale for the proposed amendments, and risk management measures  and 
how they manage risk  
• Seek feedback on the proposed amendments to the Standard . 
1.2 Background   
The Standard  applies to grains and seeds for consumption, feed , or processing  that is 
imported into  New Zealand from foreign countries and territories .  
The Standard sets out risk mitigations measures for the importation of ‘Basic’ seeds (as 
specified in  the Plants Biosecurity Index  (PBI))  and other  seeds with specific schedules , for 
the purposes of con sumption, feed, and processing .  
The Standard was issued on 21 January 2021, under section 24A of the Biosecurity Act 1993  
(the Act), incorporating amendments made in accordance with section 24B(1)(a) of that Act.  
1.3 Timing and consultation  
The proposed amend ment to the import health standard Grain and Seeds for Consumption, 
Feed, or Processing  was released for consultation on 23 August 2021 and will remain open 
for consultation until 1 October 2021 . 
1.4 Background and context of consultation  
1.4.1 International regulation of risk goods  
The World Trade Organi zation Agreement on the Application of  Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures (the SPS Agreement)  sets in place rules that protect each country’s sovereign 
right to take the measures necessary to pr otect the life or health of its people, animals, and 
plants , while at the same time facilitating trade. It embodies and promotes the use of 
science -based risk assessments to manage the risks associated with the international 
movement of goods.  
“The SPS Ag reement guide s how New Zealand sets standards and makes decisions related 
to biosecurity. It is important to maintain the standards of transparency and scientific rigour 
required by the SPS Agreement and to make decisions as quickly as possible. This will 
encourage other countries to comply with the rules of the SPS Agreement and demonstrate 
that New Zealand’s strict controls are justified to countries that challenge them. ” (Balance in 
Trade  [ISBN 978 -0-478-33881 -2]) 2 • RMP: Amendment to GCFP.IHS  Ministry for Primary Industries  1.4.2 Domestic regulation of biosecurity risks associated with importing risk goods  
The N ew Zealand  biosecurity system is regulated through the Biosecurity Act 1993 (the Act). 
Section 22 of the Act describes a n import health standard and requires all risk goods 
imported into New Zealand  to be managed by one.   
MPI is the N ew Zealand  government ministry responsible for maintaining biosecurity 
standards for the effective management of risks associated with the importation of risk goods 
and craft into N ew Zealand  (Part 3, the Act).  
MPI is committed to the principles of transparency and evidence -based technical justification 
for all phytosanitary measures, new and amended, imposed on importing pathways. MPI 
periodically reviews all import health  standards, related documents,  and other standards so 
that the legal requirements are clear , and information is consistently presented and as easy 
as possible to understand.  
2 Proposed amendment to the Standard  
It is proposed that all requirements for import permits be removed from the Standard.  
2.1 Removal of import permits for grain/seeds for processing in New Zealand  
Import permits are currently required for the importation of grain/seeds for processing in 
New Zealand (Option 3) for the following commodities:  
• Avena  spp. (oats)  
• Cannabis sativa  (low-THC hemp varieties)  
• Cicer arietinum  (chickpeas)   
• Glycine max  (soybean s) 
• Gossypium  spp. (cotton )  
• Guizotia abyssinica  (niger)   
• Helianthus  spp. (sunflower  seeds )  
• Hordeum  spp. (barley)  
• Lens  spp. (lentil s) 
• Lupinus  spp. (lupin s)  
• Medicago  spp. (alfalfa/lucerne)   
• Panicum  spp. (millet)  
• Phaseolus  spp. (green  beans and other beans)   
• Pisum  spp. (pea s)  
• Secale cereale  (rye/ryecorn)   
• Sorghum bicolor  (sorghum)   
• Triticosecale  and Triticum  spp. (triticale and wheat)  
• Vicia  spp. (broad  beans / faba bean s)  
• Vigna  spp. (adzuki  beans, black -eyed beans , mung beans , cowpea s) 
• Zea mays  (maize , popcorn , sweetcorn) . 
The removal of the import permit requirement for Option 3 will not impact Carthamus 
tinctorius  (safflower), Phalaris ca nariensis  (canary grass), or Setaria italic  (foxtail  / Italian 
millet) , as they are not eligible for import ation for processing in New Zealand ( Option 3 ).   
Ministry for Primary Industries   RMP: Amendment to GCFP.IHS  • 3 3 Rationale for proposed amendment  
3.1 Justification for removing requirement s for import permits  
At present, the primary purpose of import permits for grain/seeds for processing in 
New Zealand is to specify the transitional facility that consignments must be directed into. 
The importer specifies one or more approved transitional fa cilities on their import permit 
application, and MPI reviews the information to ensure that the facilities listed are 
appropriately approved before listing those transitional facilities on the import permit.  
When consignments arrive at the border, Border Clearance staff undertake a further check to 
ensure that the transitional facility is still appropriately approved before they  direct the goods 
to that facility.  
Permits are valid for 12 months; therefore, the status of a transitional facility may change 
after a permit is issued, before a consignment arrives. For example, a company may move 
location, or a facility may lose approval status, or a company may gain approval of a new 
transitional facility.   
MPI does not believe  that import permit s for grain/seed s for processing are  necessary, 
because the assessment for import permit s only duplicates the check that must be done 
before a consignment can be directed to a facility.  
3.2 Consequences of the amendment  
The removal of the import permit requirements for grain /seeds for processing in 
New Zealand will reduce costs for importers and free up MPI resources to focus on more 
impactful work.  
There will be no change to the risk management, as the goods will still be directed into 
approved transitional facilities for pr ocessing.