Proposed changes to cost recovery settings: 2026 annual review

Background to this consultation

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) sought your feedback on the following proposals:

• Return the circuit verification fee to approximately 2023/24 levels following a return of the surplus.
• Decrease to the unit charge for cat and dog (including semen) exports.
• Four relatively small design changes to ensure appropriate charging for the services provided.

Consultation opened on 26 November and submissions closed at 5pm on 23 January 2026.

Consultation document

Annual review 2026: Proposed changes to MPI's cost recovery settings [PDF, 1.4 MB]

What was proposed?

Proposed regulatory design changes to 4 other cost recovery settings

1. Increase the establishment shift rate (“shift allowance”) from $45 to $50

MPI proposed updating the shift allowance rate for veterinarians at red meat processing facilities from $45 to $50 to align with the current Professional Verifiers Institute Collective Employment Agreement.

2. Set renewal fees for trade name product registrations

MPI proposed introducing fees to cover the costs of processing registration renewals: a fixed charge of $684 per registration renewal and $228 per application, plus an hourly assessment charge after the first hour.

3. Clarify that the veterinarians’ fees for import-related work apply to live animals and non-live animal products

MPI proposed to extend the increased fee of $216.84 to all veterinarian import-related work, including inspecting animal products, auditing facilities, and overseeing control programmes, to correct an earlier oversight.

4. Simplify how after-hour payments, such as overtime, are accounted for in regulations

MPI proposed to simplify after-hours settings for veterinarians doing import work and staff handling live animal exports by introducing a timetable with easy-to-look-up charges that vary only on the time of day and week.