What our fees cover
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) calculates fees on a cost-recovery basis.
Activities and services we charge for include:
- import permits
- border clearance inspections
- food safety clearance for foods of high or increased regulatory interest
- inspection and sampling of imported food, associated with obtaining a food safety clearance.
Note, not all the fees on this page may apply to you and there could be other charges not listed here – like transport, storage, treatment or laboratory costs.
Import permit
Some meat products need a permit before they can be imported into New Zealand. The import health standards (IHS) for meat products will tell you if an import permit is needed.
From 1 July 2023 | ||
---|---|---|
Fee type | Fee (excl GST) | Fee (incl GST) |
Application for permit to import animal products, including meat products | $233.25 | $268.24 |
* If processing your application takes longer than one-and-a-half hours, additional time will be charged at an hourly rate of $155.50 excluding GST or $178.83 including GST. |
Border clearance charges
MPI may charge you for costs related to inspecting your meat products when they arrive in New Zealand. These may be inspected by either a biosecurity or veterinary inspector.
You may also be charged extra fees if MPI's inspector has to:
- travel to inspect your goods
- wait before inspection can start
- be called out after hours.
Charges for MPI inspectors
From 1 July 2023 | ||
---|---|---|
Fee type | Fee (excl GST) | Fee (incl GST) |
Biosecurity inspector – hourly rate* | $155.50 | $178.83 |
Veterinary professional/inspector for live animal inspections – hourly rate* | $186.30 | $214.25 |
If the MPI inspector has to work outside of rostered hours, callout charges will apply. | ||
Call-out charges | ||
Veterinary professional/inspector – at time-and-a-half | $252.17 | $290.00 |
Veterinary professional/inspector – at double time | $318.04 | $365.75 |
Veterinary professional/inspector – on a public holiday | $845.13 a day, plus hourly rates | $971.90 a day, plus hourly rates |
Travel charges for MPI inspectors
If the MPI inspector or advisor has to travel, you may have to pay travel costs. Veterinary inspectors travel costs are charged at hourly rates. Biosecurity and general inspector travel costs are charged according to the following table: