New Zealand to review cost of food safety and biosecurity services

New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is seeking feedback on proposed updates to fee rates required to maintain the safety of country’s food and to protect it from biosecurity risks.

These updates will affect the amount that MPI charges industry to deliver food safety and biosecurity services. MPI plans to increase fees for its food safety service by 12% and biosecurity work by 20%.

The proposals are aimed at updating more than 250 biosecurity and food safety fees, charges and levies and make changes to regulations that ensure fairness, clarify intent and reduce paper work.

In addition, it will increase the amount recovered from industry for biosecurity by $6.0m to $36.4m, as well as from industry for food safety by $6.8m to $62.1m.

MPI office of the director-general deputy director-general Dan Bolger said: "Biosecurity and food safety are critical to the operation and viability of New Zealand’s primary industries.

"Without these systems, New Zealand’s $38.3bn primary sector exports would never get past importing countries’ borders and New Zealand’s primary industries would be exposed to a much greater risk of potentially devastating pests and diseases."

This is the first review of fees to support the biosecurity system since the MPI was formed in 2011 and the first review of food safety fees since 2008.

Bolger added: "Feedback from industry and the public is an important part of getting these updates to fee rates right. I encourage you to take part in this consultation."

The consultation marks the first review of fees to support the biosecurity system since the MPI was formed in 2011 and the first review of food safety fees since 2008.

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Image: New Zealand to review cost of food safety and biosecurity services. Photo: courtesy of Praisaeng / freedigitalphotos.net.