Wednesday, 26 June 2024 12:55

DCANZ welcomes plans to slash red tape

Written by  Staff Reporters
DCANZ chairman Matt Bolger DCANZ chairman Matt Bolger

Dairy processors are happy with the Government’s move to reduce redtape for exporters.

The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) says the proposals to remove the requirement for individual exemptions will remove a long-standing and self-inflicted barrier to trade.

The need for exemptions has been a handbrake on dairy exporters pursuing new value-added markets and product opportunities, says DCANZ chairman Matt Bolger.

Dairy exporters currently need to apply for an exemption where the composition of the product being exported differs from the relevant New Zealand standard. Compositional requirements for products often differ between New Zealand and export markets with each country’s food regulators determining the appropriate standards for product to be sold in their domestic market.

For example, the levels of vitamin D differs between the New Zealand and China infant formula standards, due to the differing levels that infants in each country receive from other sources.

DCANZ has advocated that the New Zealand requirement for exporters to apply for exemptions unnecessarily second guesses the regulatory competence of other countries. New Zealand now has over 400 market and parameter specific exemptions for dairy exports with the potential for each of these to require updating when either New Zealand or third country standards change.

Exemptions requirements overlook the fact that New Zealand dairy exporters operate under independently verified risk management programmes. The Animal Products Act 1999 requires that dairy exporter risk management programmes document the measures taken, in compliance with New Zealand processing requirements, to produce safe and suitable products which meet the relevant country of sale requirements.

New Zealand is unique in the exemption requirements that it currently imposes upon its dairy exporters.

“We are pleased the Government has listened to dairy exporters concerns. Addressing them will ensure New Zealand has a regulatory framework that better facilitates the export of high-quality, safe and suitable dairy products so dairy companies can continue growing their contribution to the economy.”

Dairy exports account for one in every four dollars New Zealand earns from all goods and services trade.

DCANZ will be assessing and providing feedback on the options put forward in the consultation document.

More like this

Editorial: O Canada

OPINION: The Canadian government's love affair with its lifestyle dairy farmers has got it into trouble once again.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

Machinery & Products

Leader balers arrive in NZ

Officially launched at the National Fieldays event in June, the Leader in-line conventional PRO 1900 balers are imported and distributed…

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter