Recognition of Export  Controls and 
Certification  Systems  for Animals 
and Animal Products   
Guidance  for Competent Authorities  of Exporting Countries  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Disclaimer  
This guidance does not constitute, and should not be regarded as, legal advice. While every effort has been 
made to ensure the information in this guidance is accurate, the Ministry for Primary Industries does not accept 
any responsibility or liability whatsoever for any error of fact, omission, interpretation or opinion that may be 
present , however it may have occurred.  
 
Requests for further copies should be directed to:  
 
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)  
Regulation & Assurance  
Animal Imports  
PO Box 2526  
Wellington 6140  
Email: animalimpo rts@mpi.govt.nz   
 
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    
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   General Information: Country  Recognition   3 Contents  Page 
 
1 Introduction  4 
1.1 Biosecurity requirements  4 
1.2 Food safety requirements  5 
2 Competent authority  6 
3 Steps of the recognition process  6 
4 Information considered by MPI  7 
4.1 General information  8 
4.2 Exporting country’s official cont rols 8 
4.3 Legislation  9 
4.4 Export certification  9 
4.5 Laboratories  9 
4.6 Official animal health status and systems  10 
4.7 Biosecurity controls  11 
4.8 Food safety controls  11 
  Ministry for Primary Industries  Genera l Information: Country Recognition  4 1 Introduction  
This document provides  guidance  to competent authorities of countries interested in exporting animal s and 
animal products to New Zealand , such as  live animals , meat and meat products, poultry and poultry products, 
seafood  products, milk and milk products, bee products  and germplasm .  
Risks to animal  and public  health  associated with the importation of any ani mals and animal product s into New 
Zealand  are managed under the Biosecurity Act 1993 and the Food Act 2014 , respectively, both of which are 
administered by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).  
Official certification is required for the importation of certain animals and animal products  into New Zealand . 
Certification may cover biosecurity and/or food safety requirements depending on the import conditions  applicable 
to the commodity. Official certification arrangements must be agreed between  New Zealand and the exporting 
country prior to commencing trade. This will usually involve:  
 an assessment of information provided by the exporting country’s competent authority regarding its 
systems for managing animal and /or public health, export, and of ficial certification;  
 recognition by MPI of the exporting country’s systems as meeting New Zealand ’s requirements; and    
 negotiation of specific biosecurity and/or food safety conditions under which importation of a particular 
commodity from the exporting country will be authorised .  
1.1 BIOSECURITY REQUIREM ENTS  
Animals and animal products may be subject to biosecurity import conditions which are specified in the relevant 
Import Health Standard (IHS) issued under New Zealand’s Biosecurity Act 1993. Where an IH S requires an 
exporting country to provide evidence of the country’s export and certification systems prior to trade commencing, 
the competent authority of that country must provide the information that is required by the IHS. Section 4 of t his 
document ou tlines the types of information considered by MPI in making an assessment  of an exporting country’s 
systems .  
MPI’s biosecurity assessment process is based on the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial 
Animal Health Code  (the Code ) Section 3: Quality of Veterinary Services .   
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   General Information: Country  Recognition   5 1.2 FOOD SAFETY REQUIREM ENTS  
All foods imported into New Zealand must be safe and suitable for human consumption, and meet relevant New 
Zealand food standards, including the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code . In addition to these general 
requirements, specific foods identified as “High Regulatory Interest” (HRI) or “Increased Regulatory Interest” (IRI) 
require border clearance for entry into New  Zealand. These specified foods and their corresponding clearance 
requirements are indicated in the Importing Food Notice  (IFN).    
The IFN provides for  the use of official certification as a means  of ensuring that specified imported foods and their 
production systems meet New Zealand requirements. To facilitate the assessment of an exporting country’s 
systems and negotiation of official certification arrangements, MPI may request the exporting coun try’s competent 
authority to provide information related to its systems for food production and processing, export and certification.  
For more information please contact animalimports@mpi.govt.nz .  Ministry for Primary Industries  Genera l Information: Country Recognition  6 2 Compete nt authority  
Exporting countries seeking to have their export and certification systems  recognised by MPI, in view of 
negotiating official certification, should  have a competent authority responsible for  implementing its national 
systems covering  animal an d/or public health, as  appropriate to the commodity intended for export  to New 
Zealand . The competent authority  must be empowered and capable of providing credible certification and other 
assurances for commodities exported to New Zealand.  
All bilateral ne gotiations and other relevant communication with MPI should  be undertaken by the exporting 
country’s competent authority. Interested  parties and private businesses from the exporting country should 
contact their competent authority and communicate with MPI  through this channel.  
3 Steps of the recognition process  
The r ecognition process involves the following steps:  
1) The exporting country’s competent authority informs MPI of its interest to export a particular animal (s) or 
animal product (s) to New Zealand, and requests a copy of the relevant commodity -specific questionnaire  
and any other related  information. Communication should be addressed to:   
Director, Animal and Animal Products  
Regulation and Assurance Branch  
Ministry for Primary Industries  
New Zealand  
Emai l address: animalimports@mpi.govt.nz  
2) MPI sends a copy of the commodity -specific questionnaire  to the exporting country’s competent 
authority. The questionnaire is intended to facilitate the compilation of i nformation necessary for MPI to 
undertake an assessment  of the country’s systems against requirements of the relevant IHS and/or the 
IFN. 
3) The exporting country’s c ompetent authority completes  the questionnaire and submits it, together with 
supporting evide nce, to MPI . The questionnaire and a ll supporting documents should be in English, or 
be accompanied by certified English translations.  
4) MPI assesses  the information provided by the exporting country’s competent authority . MPI may request 
additional informa tion for clarification , as necessary.    
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   General Information: Country  Recognition   7 5) Once MPI is satisfied  with the information  provided, MPI and the exporting country’s competent authority 
can negotiate and agree on the specific conditions under which exports from the country will be 
authorised . The t wo parties may also agree on any required official certificat ion. 
6) MPI adds the exporting country’s name and the agreed country -specific certificate to the relevant IHS or 
associated guidance document, and, if applicable, in the IFN . 
4 Information  considered  by MPI  
This section outlines the information that MPI will take into consideration when assessing an exporting country’s 
systems. The table below summarises the typical import scenarios, in terms of clearance requirements and 
official certification, and th e information that should be provided by the exporting country’s competent authority to 
MPI.   
The table serves as a generic guide only as some sections may not be relevant to all commodities. On request, a 
commodity -specific questionnaire will be provided  by MPI which contains the applicable information needed by 
MPI in order to undertake an assessment of the exporting country’s systems.    
 
A. Live animals, germplasm and animal products that are not for human consumption  
Certification requirement  Clearance r equired for entry 
into New Zealand  Information to be provided by the 
exporting country  
Required by IHS  Biosecurity  Sections 4.1 to 4.7  
 
Note: Some elements of 4.8(2) may 
apply to pet food.  
B. Animal products for human consumption  
Certification requiremen t Clearance required for entry 
into New Zealand  Information to be provided by the 
exporting country  
Required by both IHS and IFN  Biosecurity and food safety  Sections 4.1 to 4.8  
Required only by IHS  Biosecurity  Sections 4.1 to 4.7 and  4.8(1) and (2)  
Required only by IFN  Food safety  Sections 4.1 to 4.4 and 4.8  
 Ministry for Primary Industries  Genera l Information: Country Recognition  8 4.1 GENERAL  INFORMATION  
1) The countries to which the commodity(ies) under consideration are exported by the country under 
assessment (if applicable) .  
2) OIE membership and participation in OIE activiti es, including reporting obligations and any performance 
assessments (e.g. Performance of Veterinary Services) of the exporting country which have been 
undertaken . 
4.2 EXPORTING COUNTRY’S  OFFICIAL CONTROLS  
1) The competen t authority or authorities responsible for the exporting country’s official controls for animal 
health and food safety , and for export and certification systems  of animals and animal products . 
2) The organisation  of the competent authority  or authorities , including  the: 
a) organisational structure ; 
b) chief official responsible for animal health ;  
c) chief official responsible for food safety ; 
d) roles and responsibilities of all relevant parties ; 
e) technical positions held by veterinarians , including Official Veterinarians carrying out export -
focussed duties ; and 
f) training and competency requirements for positions  with key roles in the implementation of official 
controls for animal health and food safety . 
3) The responsibilities  and capabilities  of the  competent authority to: 
a) contribute to and participate in the develop ment , implementation and enforcement of relevant 
legislation , policies  and official controls ; 
b) establish animal health and food safety requirements , and programmes based on scientific 
information, evidence and/or risk analysis principles, as appropriate ; 
c) conduct equivalence and official  certificate negotiations ; and 
d) maintain independence and credibility of the official certification system.  
4) The legal and administrative structures for ensuring the  stability and integrity of national systems  and 
policies , including:  
a) freedom from  improper or undue influence or conflict of interest;  and 
b) independen ce of long-term strategies and policies from current leadership, political climate, 
domestic conflicts,  etc.   
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   General Information: Country  Recognition   9 5) The l egal and administrative arrangements for accrediting ex ternal agencies or private bodies to provide 
services or perform specific tasks related to official controls (e.g. inspection, pre -export testing, 
surveillance, certification) on behalf of official agencies , including:  
a) the circumstances  and conditions unde r which official accreditation is given to external agencies;   
b) the criteria against which external agencies are assessed to be officially accredited;  and 
c) assessment  of the performance of accredited agencies  undert aken by the competent authority . 
4.3 LEGISLATIO N 
1) The l egislation underpinning the:  
a) responsibilities, authorities and power s of the competent authority ; and  
b) setting , implementation  and enforcement of animal health , biosecurity  and food control systems 
and programmes , including those listed  in sections 4.6 to 4.7 . 
4.4 EXPORT CERTIFICATION  
1) The legal basis for issuing official certificates.  
2) The procedures for ensuring the integrity, impartiality and independence of the official certification 
system.  
3) The training and competencies of certifying officers.  
4) The proc edures for ensuring the authenticity and validity of official certificates, including the:  
a) identification and numbering system;  
b) security and issuing arrangements and records management; and  
c) use of official marks . 
4.5 LABORATORIES  
1) The national animal health la boratories and other veterinary diagnostic laboratories, and their function in 
relation to animal and/or public health testing and monitoring.  
2) Access to an overseas OIE accredited or equivalent veterinary diagnostic laboratory where none is 
present in the  exporting country.  
3) The capability of national animal health laboratories and other veterinary diagnostic laboratories, in 
relation to animal and/or public health (e.g. types of diagnostic testing and methodology, sampling, etc).  
4) Quality control and valid ation programmes for assessing the performance of veterinary diagnostic 
laboratories to ensure competency to perform tests and calibrations.  Ministry for Primary Industries  Genera l Information: Country Recognition  10 5) Current accreditation to recognised standards (e.g. OIE accreditat ion) of the national animal health 
laboratories a nd other veterinary diagnostic laboratories . 
4.6 OFFICIAL ANIMAL HEALTH STATUS AND SYSTEMS  
1) The g eneral anima l health status of the exporting country, with reference t o the country’s official OIE 
disease  status  as applicable (e.g. bovine spongiform encephalopat hy risk status) . 
2) The n otifiable animal diseases  relevant to the commodity(ies) intended for export , and the systems for 
reporting  of these diseases  within the country and to the OIE, including routine reports on the absence 
or presence of disease . 
3) The syst ems for animal disease prevention and control, including : 
a) agency(ies) responsible for implementing animal disease prevention and control  plans ; 
b) details of prevention and control  plans  in relation to:  
i) epidemiological surveillance and monitoring;  
ii) criteria fo r initiation of disease outbreak control(s);  
iii) emergency measures to prevent disease spread, including movement control and traceability;  
iv) simulation exercises  and other training for disease prevention and control plans;  
v) establishment, maintenance and certi fication of disease free zones or compartments  in 
response to an outbreak ;  
vi) compensation for animal owners affected by emergency measures;  and 
vii) legislation and systems to ensure compliance with these emergency measures.  
c) any current or previous outbreaks or incursions, the epidemiology of the outbreaks (trace back) and 
how they are/were managed.  
4) The l egislation and s ystems for managing : 
a) the use of veterinary medicines, biologicals and genetically modified organisms ; and 
b) animal feed safety  (e.g. controls for ruminant protein feeding of ruminants ). 
5) The b iosecurity import controls  in the exporting country , including:  
a) the development and implementation of risk management measures based on risk assessments;  
b) quarantine  procedures;  and 
c) border controls to prevent en try and spread of animal diseases.  
6) The general export control s in place that meet international standards and overseas  market access 
requirements.      
 
Ministry for Primary Industries   General Information: Country  Recognition   11 4.7 BIOSECURITY CONTROLS  
1) The biosecurity control measures for managing each of the animal diseases identified i n the relevant 
IHS as posing a biosecurity risk (i.e. with risk -mitigation requirements specified in the IHS), including:  
a) current disease status;  
b) surveillance (active/passive/ad hoc) and monitoring reports;  
c) current disease control measures in place (as app licable to the exporting country’s health status), 
including regular testing and treatment;  and 
d) any applicable disease free zones or compartments established in accordance with the Code 
recommendations for the relevant disease.  
2) The premises for export, in cluding:  
a) details of the premises currently licenced to export, or intending to export, including full physical 
address, and evidence of approval, registration or license issued by the competent authority; or  
b) evidence that the competent authority has a reg ister of licensed export premises/facilities.   
4.8 FOOD  SAFETY CONTROLS  
1) The systems for approval, registration and inspection of export food processing and manufacturing 
premises.  
2) The systems for implementing and monitoring of:  
a) ante-mortem and post -mortem exa mination of food animals; and  
b) Good Hygienic Practices (GHP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and 
Critical Control Point (HACCP) in processing and manufacturing premises.  
3) The programmes for verifying the effectiveness of food control measures, such as surveillance and 
monitoring programmes (e.g. pathogen monitoring programmes, chemical residue monitoring 
programmes and microbiological surveys), and their outcomes.   
4) The i nspection and export systems for ensuring that food intended to be  exported to New Zealand 
conforms with:  
a) relevant  standards of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code  and other New Zealand 
food standards, and  
b) any food safety criteria set in  the Importing Food Notice .  
5) The system s for approving, accrediting and monitoring the performance of food analytical laboratories.