Exporting under the dairy quota programme

An export licence is also known as an allocation of quota. You'll need a licence before you can export certain dairy products to the designated markets. We allocate export licences between August and September of each year during an allocation round.

To take part in the allocation round and receive a licence, there are a few steps you'll need to follow.

Make sure you're registered as an exporter

Only registered animal product exporters can apply for an export licence. Make sure you're registered by following the instructions.

Find out how to register as an exporter

Take part in the allocation round

We’ll call for applications to take part in the export licence allocation round in the middle of each year. We do this mid-year prior to the start of the next quota year to ensure allocations are confirmed well ahead of the beginning of the quota year (January for most quotas). This is intended to make business planning easier and to provide time to ship product to the designated markets.

Formal notice of the opening of applications will be made via a Gazette notice. We recommend companies checking the Gazette website to confirm when the allocation round has begun and when statutory declarations must be provided by to be eligible for the next year’s allocation.

Gazette website - New Zealand Gazette

Once applications close, MPI will calculate applicants’ entitlements in accordance with the Act. The Minister of Agriculture makes the final allocations.

If you’re eligible, you will receive export licences for each designated market you have applied for based on your share of all applicants’ exports (by volume) under that tariff heading to all markets (not just to quota markets) over the last 3 seasons. For example, if you apply for a quota which covers cheese, and you represent 5% of applicants’ total cheese exports by volume to all markets over the past 3 seasons, you will receive 5% of the export licences available for that quota. The Gazette notice will outline the applicable tariff headings.

You will only be allocated licences for a particular market if your entitlement is 20 tonnes or more.

Allocations will be notified in the Gazette, and we will also inform you in writing.

If you are allocated export licences, you will need to pay participation fees which cover the costs of running the system (see The costs of export licences).

The costs of export licences

If you are allocated export licences, you’ll need to register an approved QCP with MPI before you can use them (see Step 2: Get a quota Compliance Programme). If you are allocated export licences but do not register an approved QCP, you may be declined future allocations.

Step 2: Get a quota Compliance Programme

If you are unsure about your eligibility to be allocated export licences, you can contact dairy.quota@mpi.govt.nz

Operators who are allocated quota for cheddar cheese, low fat cheese, NSPF cheese or American style cheese to the US markets will be required to nominate their designated importer to the US to MPI.

Collect and submit your milk solids data as a statutory declaration

To apply for a share of export licences, you’ll need to provide us the below information, as well as a statutory declaration confirming the accuracy of the information.

We’ll need:

• The list of quotas you wish to apply for and/or the volume (if specified). If no quantity is specified then the full amount available will be allocated.
• The volume of your exports for each of the last three years for each relevant Tariff heading for the quotas you are applying for (The Tariff headings can be found on this page and in the Gazette notice when applications open).
• Your business name, and any other business names you export under, and your New Zealand Customs Service Client Code.
• The appropriate name and email address of the person in your company responsible for dairy quota matters.

If you use an export agent such as a freight forwarder or consolidator, you’ll also need to supply a statutory declaration from the agent confirming:

• their relationship with you
• the volumes they have exported on your behalf
• their New Zealand Customs Service Client Code.

Required text for a statutory declaration [PDF, 10 KB]

Once you've made your statutory declaration, email it to dairy.quota@mpi.govt.nz

Or post it to:

Attention:  Dairy Quota Allocation and Transfers

Food Risk Management
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington.

The costs of export licences

The Quota Management System and Quota Management Register handle dairy quota export approvals and record who currently holds export licences.

Export licence holders are invoiced quarterly for the costs of running these systems, in proportion to the tonnes they're allocated under the export licence. The Dairy Export Quota Products Notice sets the amount.

Dairy Export Quota Products Notice – Amount to recover for year [PDF, 185 KB]

Transferring export licences

If you hold an export licence, you may be able to transfer it to another person eligible to hold an export licence under regulations associated with the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act.

Dairy Industry Restructuring (Transfer of Export Licences)

You and the transferee are responsible for working out the commercial terms of the transfer – government agencies aren't involved. Note that you will need to register the transfer with MPI.

You can transfer any amount of a licence greater than 20 tonnes in a single transaction. You can only transfer parts of the licence that haven't been used.

Transfers become effective from the date when MPI notifies the transferor and transferee.

Registering the transfer of export licences

Both the transferor and the transferee will need to apply to the chief executive of MPI for registration of the transfer on the register of export licence holders. This needs to be done in writing.

Note that for each transfer concerning a different designated market and quota year, we'll require a separate application.

Find out what you need for a transfer

If you're planning a transfer, then you'll need to submit an application with the following information:

• the full name, address, and contact details of both yourself and the transferee (including a contact name, phone number, and email address)
• the designated market and the product
• the volume of quota exports
• the date the export licence was first allocated or registered to the transferor.

Transferring an export licence – Application form [PDF, 64 KB]

Guidance document: Dairy export quota products [PDF, 719 KB]

Once you've got approval to export to a designated market, you'll need to develop a Quota Compliance Programme (QCP) and get it approved.

A QCP is a document designed to ensure a dairy quota product meets the access requirements of a designated market. It's your responsibility to put it together, and make sure it outlines the various manufacturing, storage, testing, and export procedures.

As an exporter, you can have a QCP for both manufacturing and exporting. Or, you can have a QCP for exporting and source dairy products from a manufacturer with a QCP.

Note that if you are allocated export licences, you must register an approved QCP in order to use them. You may also be declined further allocations of export licences in future years if you do not register an approved QCP.

Make sure your QCP meets the requirements

You need to develop your QCP document to meet the requirements of the Animal Products (Regulated Control Scheme – Dairy Export Quota Products) Regulations 2008, as well as the Animal Products Notice: Dairy Export Quota Products and Related Export Approvals.

Your QCP will need to detail how you meet the requirements of the regulations and the Notice for the particular designated market.

The Animal Products (Regulated Control Scheme - Dairy Export Quota Products) Regulations 2008 

Animal Products Notice: Regulated Control Scheme - Dairy Export Quota Products and Related Export Approvals [PDF, 394 KB]

Fill out the validation sheet

Once you've developed your QCP, use the validation sheet to ensure you've ticked all the right boxes. This is important, as we'll audit your QCP prior to approval.

QCP validation sheet [DOC, 196 KB]

Get your QCP approved

When you've developed your QCP and checked it against the QCP validation sheet, you're ready to send it to MPI.

Email it to approvals@mpi.govt.nz and QMSCertificationand.ExportApproval@mpi.govt.nz

AP52 – Application form for submitting QCP for approval [PDF, 286 KB]

Once you've got an export licence and a QCP, you'll need to apply for export approval from MPI before the consignment leaves New Zealand. This is commonly issued as a certificate or authorisation.

You apply using the web-based Quota Management System (QMS). To get access to QMS, email eCert.Admin@mpi.govt.nz

When applying for access, ask for the web link and user access. Each user needs to have their own login.

When you apply for export approval, we'll process the request in the QMS. If you're successful, we'll print the necessary certificates. We also use the QMS to manage dairy industry quota.

When applying, you'll need to provide basic dairy quota product information, as well as information about the exporter. You can provide these details using the dairy quota product specification application form.

Dairy quota product specification application form [PDF, 109 KB]

If approved, you'll receive an export approval, which is determined by the requirements of the designated market. For example, quota butter going to the EU would require an IMA 1 certificate, while cheese going to the USA would require authorisation issued online within the QMS.

Make a Summary of Records declaration

You'll also need to supply a Summary of Records declaration. We need one of these declarations for every consignment where you seek export approval.

View Summary of Records templates [PDF, 101 KB]

When you've filled out the application form and provided a Summary of Records declaration, email it to QMSCertificationand.ExportApproval@mpi.govt.nz

Understanding the Quota Management Register (QMR)

Alongside the QMS, we also maintain a Quota Management Register. We use the QMR to manage dairy product information and volumes of export licensing.

Some of the information includes:

• quota periods
• export licence holders and allocations
• remaining volumes of export licence
• approved product specifications for dairy product.

You're ready to export when you have all of the required licences, documents and approvals.

Make sure you've:

• registered as an exporter (see Step 1) 
• applied for and received an export licence (Step 1)
• put together a QCP and had it validated and approved (Step 2)
• applied for and received export approval (Step 3)
• made a Summary of Records declaration (Step 3).

Other requirements

Finally, the importing country authorities and New Zealand authorities may require any or all of the following:

• a health or sanitary certificate
• a country of origin certificate
• a valid import licence
• a valid customs export entry.

Find out more about exporting dairy products