Risk Management Programmes (RMPs) for farm dairies

All farm dairies must operate under an RMP registered with MPI. Find out how to develop your RMP and what legislation you must comply with.

Refer to the legislation and use the technical information and templates provided by MPI to develop an RMP for your farm dairy.

Read the general information that applies to all food businesses developing an RMP:

Legislation

The specifications you must meet when developing an RMP for your farm dairy are described in 2 Notices under the Animal Products Act (APA) 1999.

Find out about the structure and general content of an RMP:

Read about the technical outcomes a dairy RMP needs to consider and address:

Manufacturing raw milk products

If you're intending to harvest milk for raw milk products, you must take some extra measures in your RMP.

Find out about the requirements for harvesting milk for raw milk products:

Technical outcomes

The technical outcomes specified in the Notices are explained in more detail in approved criteria documents, 2 of which are relevant to farm dairies:

Find out the general technical requirements to be considered and addressed by your RMP:

Read the technical requirements that apply to milk harvesting, filtration, cooling and storage, along with the supporting activities to be addressed by a farm dairy RMP:

Farm dairy water status

Along with your RMP, you need to complete this form to assess the water used in your farm dairy:

Using an RMP template

There are 2 templates to help you develop your RMP for a farm dairy. One is for dairy products intended for the New Zealand market and the other is for dairy products intended for export.

They can be used:

  • as a template, which you complete
  • as a model to use as the basis for an RMP that you develop yourself.

You don't have to have your RMP evaluated if the template is completed fully and without modification. However, if you prepare your own RMP, it must be evaluated before you apply to MPI to have it registered.

Find out more about the evaluation procedure:

Dairy products consumed only in New Zealand

Use this template if your farm dairy supplies milk for the manufacture of dairy products for sale on the domestic market:

Dairy products intended for export

Use this template if your farm supplies, or might supply, milk intended for the manufacture of dairy products for export: 

The template also covers possible sale of the products in New Zealand and has forms to help with recording information on your farm.

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