Draft import health standard for specified animal products for human use

Have your say

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) invites comment on a proposed new IHS for Specified Animal Products for Human Use. The IHS will use this shortcode: SPECHUMN.ALL.

It includes some new commodities and will replace the IHS for Specified Animal Products and several outdated standards for meat and meat products for human consumption.

The new IHS will cover all human therapeutic products. Products not intended for human use are proposed to be managed under a different IHS – Microorganisms, biological products derived from animals, and cell lines (MOBIOCELL.ALL).

The process we took to review the measures and propose this new IHS (SPECHUMN.ALL) is outlined in the risk management proposal.

This consultation opened on 26 June and closes at 5pm on 25 August 2026.

Consultation documents

Risk management proposal: SPECHUMN.ALL

Draft Import Health Standard: Specified animal products for human use (SPECHUMN.ALL) [PDF, 997 KB]

Related consultation

Draft IHS for microorganisms, biological products derived from animals, and cell lines (MOBIOCELL.ALL.)

Making your submission

Email your feedback on the draft before 5pm on 25 August 2026 to spechumn.consultation2026@mpi.govt.nz

Make sure you include in your submission:

your name and title, if applicable
your organisation's name, if you're submitting on behalf of an organisation
your contact details – for example, phone number, address, and email.

While we prefer email, you can send your submission by post to:

Animal and Animal Products Standards and Import Pathways
Biosecurity Import and Export Standards
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand.

All submissions received by the closing date will be considered before the amended import health standard (IHS) is issued. MPI may hold late submissions on file for consideration when the issued IHS is next revised or reviewed.

Steps to finalising the new IHS

After consultation on a draft import health standard, MPI publishes a provisional IHS.

If you made a submission during the consultation, you have 10 working days to notify the Director-General of MPI that you intend to request an independent review. Reviews are limited to whether specific scientific evidence was given sufficient consideration.

If no review is requested within 10 working days, then the provisional IHS is confirmed and the final IHS is issued.

For more information about reviews refer to Section 24 of the Biosecurity Act 1993 on the NZ Legislation website

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

Draft import health standard for specified animal products for human use

Closing date

Contact

Email