Import Health Standard for 
Bulk Inorganic Fertilisers  
(including Guano)  
 
Short Name: INORGFERT.ALL 
 
       10 February 2012   Published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry  P O Box 2526 Wellington 6011 New Zealand  
 
Issuing Authority 
This Import Health Standard (IHS) for Bulk Inorganic Fertiliser  (INORGFERT.ALL) is issued under 
section 22 of the Biosecurity Act 1993 (the Act).    This IHS revokes and replaces the following IHSs: 
(a) MAF Standard FERGUAIC.ALLL: IHS for the importation of Guano based fertiliser into New Zealand (NZ) first issued 14 January 1998; and  
 (b) MAF Standard 152-08.04I: IHS for Bulk Fertiliser  first issued 26 May 1999. 
  Dated at Wellington this _____________day of    2012.         
   
  Peter Thomson Director, Plants, Food and Environment Standards Branch Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Issued under delegated authority) Version number: 3.0  For all matters relating to the interpretation, revi ew and amendment of this IHS, please contact: 
 Biosecurity and Environment Group  IHS for Bulk Inorganic Fertiliser (IHS for INORGFERT.ALL) Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry PO Box 2526 Wellington 6011 NZ Fax: 64 4 894 0662 Email: standards@maf.govt.nz  For all matters relating to the operation of this IHS, including audits, inspections and treatments, please contact your local MAF office.  This IHS is accessible on: (MAF hyperlink)  External Consultation Version 1 10 February 2012 
Contents Page 
 
PART A.  INTRODUCTION  4  
A.1. BACKGROUND  4  
A.2 SCOPE  4  
A.3 OUTCOMES  4  
PART B.  RISK MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS  4  
B.1 PERMITTED LEVELS OF BIOSECURITY RISK MATERIAL  4  
B.2  PRE-SHIP
MENT REQUIREMENTS  5  
B.3   REQUIRED CERTIFICATION OR INFORMATION  5  
B.4   DOCUMENTED SYSTEMS  6  
PART C.  EQUIVALENCE  6  
C.1. EQUIVALENCE  6  
APPENDIX 1: DEFINITIONS:  7  
  
MAF IHS for Bulk Inorganic Fertiliser (including Guano)  Page 3 of 8 External Consultation Version 1 10 February 2012 
PART A. INTRODUCTION 
 
A.1. BACKGROUND 
(1) 
 Under section 22 of the Act, this document  is the IHS for bulk inorganic fertiliser (from 
this point referred to as “fertiliser”). 
 (2) If this IHS needs to be amended or revo ked urgently, or the Director General considers 
that an amendment is minor, the amendmen t or revocation may be carried out without 
prior consultation. 
 (3) A guidance document will be issued by MAF to accompany this IHS. The guidance 
document will provide guidance information relevant to how requirements may be met. 
 
(4) 
This IHS specifies the requirements that must be met for the effective management of 
biosecurity risks associated with the importa tion of fertiliser consignments before they 
may enter NZ, or may be moved from a biosecu rity control area or a transitional facility 
(TF), or be provided with a biosecurity clearance or direction.  
 (5) A biosecurity clearance, pursuant to section 26 of the Act, will be issued when fertiliser 
meets all of the requirements of this IHS. 
Note: Definitions that apply in this document  are specified in Appendix 1 or the Act. 
 A.2 SCOPE  This IHS applies to the importation of the following types of fertiliser:- 
(a) 
direct application fertiliser: 
(b) fertiliser for further processing: (c) guano fertiliser. 
Note:  This IHS does not cover importation of li quid fertiliser or bagged and containerised 
inorganic fertilisers (these products have been determined to have a lower risk status).  In addition, this IHS does not apply to organic fertilisers that primarily consist of animal, microbial or plant material. For information on the importation of organic fertilisers refer to:- 
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/imports/animals  or  
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/ihs/bnz-fertgro-imprt.pdf
 
 
A.3 OUTCOMES (1) Fertiliser im 
ported into NZ must be substantia lly free of biosecurity risk material (refer to 
Part B. 1. (1) Permitted levels of biosecurity risk material).  
 
PART B.  RISK MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS 
 
B.1 PERMITTED LEVELS OF BIOSECURITY RISK MATERIAL   
(1) Fertiliser mu
st not contain any biosecurity risk material specified in column 1 that 
exceeds the permitted level specified in column 2. 
 
Column 1 Column 2 
Biosecurity risk material  Permitted level per 5KG Composite 
Sample 
Arthropods & Molluscs (live) Nil 
Animal material or by-products  Nil 
Plant material – dead/desiccated 1 piece (not exceeding 5cm²) 
Plant material - fresh/green & regulated grains/seeds Nil 
Soil (clods, lumps etc) 5 grams  
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B.2  PRE-SHIPMENT REQUIREMENTS 
(1) Sampling and Analysis for Direct Application Fertiliser (excluding Guano Fertiliser). 
(a)  Direct application fertiliser (excludin g guano fertiliser) must be sampled and 
analysed in accordance with ISO sampling prior to shipment to NZ to determine the presence or absence of biosecurity risk material.   
(b) The sampling referred to in sub-clause (1 ) (a) must be conducted by an IVA (or 
regulatory authority where this is applicable) and samples must be analysed at an independent laboratory approved for that purpose.  
 
(2) Pre-Shipment Vessel Inspection fo r Direct Application Fertiliser 
Any vessel hold used to transport direct application fertiliser to NZ must be inspected by an independ
ent verification agency to ensure freedom from contamination from previous 
cargoes and verifying the cleanliness of the vessel (including ledges, hold covers and all 
associated structural parts of the hold).   
(3) Pre-Shipment Treatment Requirements for Guano Fertiliser Guano fertiliser must be heat treated (in the country of origin) at a minimum temperature 
of 100
oC for at least 1 minute. 
 
Note:  Certification attesting to the pre-shipment requirements (as outlined in section B.2) must 
meet the requirements as follows in section B.3. 
 
B.3   REQUIRED CERTIF ICATION OR INFORMATION 
(1) 
Certification or information required under this IHS for consignments arriving in NZ 
must be received by MAF at least 72 hours prior to arrival.  
 (2) All fertiliser must be accompanied by a vessel certificate (refer  to (8) as below). 
 (3) Direct application fertiliser (excluding gu ano fertiliser) must be accompanied by the 
following: (a) a fertiliser analysis certificate (refer to (5) as below); and (b) a fertiliser sampling certificate (refer to (6) as below). 
 (4) Guano fertiliser must be accompanied by a treatment certificate (refer to (7) as below). 
 (5) Fertiliser Analysis Certificate 
A fertiliser analysis certificate must: (a) accurately state the chemical constituen t make up of the fertiliser including the 
identification, presence, and quantity of all contaminants detected; and 
(b)  specify the agency conducting the analysis; and (c) be issued and endorsed by the national regulatory authority, regional or state 
government or an IVA in the port of origin or place of loading. 
 
(6) Fertiliser Sampling Certificate  
A fertiliser sampling certificate must: (a) specify the sampling techniques used to draw samples for analysis; and (b) specify the agency conducting the sampling; and  (c) be issued or endorsed by the national regulatory authority, regional or state 
government or an IVA in the port of origin or place of loading. 
   
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(7) Treatment Certificate 
 A treatment certificate must: 
(a) state “During processing, the [product description] has been heat treated at a 
minimum temperature of 100oC for at least 1 minute”; and 
(b)  be issued by the manufact urer or treatment provider. 
 
(8) Vessel Certificate 
A vessel certificate must: 
(a) specify that the fertiliser is free from contamination from previous cargoes and 
attest to the cleanliness of the vessel (including ledges, hold covers and all associated structural parts of the hold); and 
(b) be issued or endorsed by the national regulatory authority, regional or state 
government or an IVA in the port of origin or place of loading. 
 
B.4   DOCUMENTED SYSTEMS  
(1) 
The importer of fertiliser intended for furt her processing must document the entire 
existing (or planned) importation process ( the “documented system”) in accordance 
with sub-clause (2) as follows, and submit it to MAF prior to its importation (see Contact details, Page 2 of this IHS).  
 (2) The documented system must: 
(a) specify the specific details of the consig nment, all pre-entry activities through 
arrival in NZ, border clearance, and transportation to the TF  where the material will be stored and how it will be further processed; and 
 (b) outline the critical control points, preventative management systems, measures and processes used by the importer to mitigate and/or manage any biosecurity risks that maybe associated with their products.   
 
PART C. EQUIVALENCE 
C.1. EQUIVALENCE 
 
Requirements for the importation of fertiliser will be met in full if the Director-General of MAF 
considers that an importing company has implemented equivalent measures in a system for managing associated risk that are as effective as the standard IHS requirements (as specified in 
Part B of this document). If an equivalence sy stem is thus approved, MAF will provide signoff of 
the system by a Chief Technical Officer under delegated authority.  
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APPENDIX 1: DEFINITIONS: 
 
In this IHS the following definitions apply:-    
Biosecurity Risk Material means any material that constitutes a biosecurity risk, 
including but not limited to: (a) animal bones, carcasses, excrement, fe athers, skins, and any related material; 
(b)  grain or seeds; (c) other plant material or plant products (including fresh or dried material such as 
bark, fruit, leaves, twigs); 
(d) regulated animal or plant pests or hitch-hiker organisms; (e) soil (clumps or loose); and (f) wood and wood products (including bark). 
 
Bulk I
norganic Fertiliser  means un-bagged and non-containerised consignments of 
fertiliser or ingredients of fertiliser transported as loose consignments in vessel holds.   
 
Contamination  means the unwanted presence of re gulated contaminants (including 
regulated organisms) that may pose a biosecurity risk to NZ found in a commodity, container, conveyance or storag e place or in any material. 
 
Consignment  means unaccompanied goods being moved from one country to another 
and covered by an airway bill/bill of lading or consignment note. 
 Direct Application Fertiliser means fertiliser that is ready for immediate use or those 
products where the usual manufacturing proce ss in NZ would not destroy, or render 
non-viable any biosecurity risk material.  Fertiliser  means a substance manufactured, intended for further manufacture, 
represented, supplied, or used as a means of directly or indirectly: (a) fertilising the soil; or  (b) supplying nutrients to the soil; or  
(c) conditioning the soil by altering the biological, chemical, or physical composition 
of the soil.  
 Fertiliser Analysis Certificate means a certificate referred to in clause B.3 (5). 
 
Fertiliser For Further Processing  means fertiliser (including ingredients of inorganic 
fertiliser) that will be processed in NZ to en sure that any contaminants will be destroyed 
or devitalised (for example, hot mix  sulphuric acid process). 
 Fertiliser Sampling Certificate means a certificate referred to in clause B.3 (6). 
 
Guano Fertiliser means inorganic fertiliser made from guano, which is the mineralised 
product derived from fossilised bat or bird droppings.  Independent Laboratory  means a laboratory that: 
(a) has been recognised by a laboratory accrediting organisation (national or 
international) to test and evaluate produ cts to an international standard or 
product safety standard; and  
 
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MAF IHS for Bulk Inorganic Fertiliser (including Guano)  Page 8 of 8 (b) is free from commercial, financial, an d other pressures that may influence the 
results of the testing and evaluation process. 
 
Independent Verification Agency (IVA) means a MAF-approved independent third 
party service provider that monitors the sani tary regulatory operations of the processing 
plant, sampling and transportation systems approved by MAF to confirm statements 
made in official certification.  Inorganic Fertiliser  means a chemical product, of either  mineral or synthetic origin, that 
provides nutrients to stimulate plant growth.  ISO means the International Organisation for Standardisation which is the worldwide 
federation of national standards bodies.  ISO Sampling means sampling in accordance with ISO Standards: 8633, 8634, and ISO 
Technical Report 7553 or any standards or  technical reports that replace them.  
 Treatment Certificate  means a certificate referred to in clause B.3 (7). 
 Vessel Certificate means a certificate referred to in clause B.3 (8).  
.   
(2) Words used but not defined in this IHS have the same meaning as words defined in the 
Biosecurity Act 1999.