Bivalve molluscan shellfish harvest operators

About BMS harvest operators

Harvest operators remove BMS from a shellfish growing area and move them to a harvest vessel, vehicle, or container.

They may move BMS for a variety of reasons, including to go into wet storage, for relay, or to go to retailers, wholesalers, or processors.

If you're a BMS harvest operator, you must meet the BMS regulated control scheme (BMS RCS) requirements for:

You must also:

be registered with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
ensure your harvest vessels and vehicles are listed with a unique identifier
meet requirements for labelling and harvest declarations of your product in the BMS RCS
follow harvesting and transport time and temperature protocols
ensure you have access to and follow the changes in status of growing areas.

Check these parts of the notice:

To register as a BMS harvest operator, complete application form AP47 and send it to us.

Contact details and costs for registering are on the form.

You must also include a verification report for each vessel or vehicle you use for harvesting BMS. Information on this is in the Animal Products Notice: Regulated Control Scheme – Bivalve Molluscan Shellfish for Human Consumption [PDF, 903 KB]

BMS harvest operators must renew their registration with MPI every 5 years.

We have a list of registered commercial BMS harvest operators and their vessels.

If you have questions about working as a BMS harvest operator, email info@mpi.govt.nz