Market Access Support

Background

Funds recovered with each phytosanitary certificate allow MPI to undertake a range of activities to support horticultural and seed exports. The range of activities these funds support are described in PMAC’s annual reports


MPI teams involved in undertaking market access work with cost-recovered funds

​MPI is a large organisation that is subdivided into 8 branches
 
Three teams within MPI undertake work to support plant exports and are in part funded with cost-recovered funds. They are:
 
The Bilateral Relations and Trade team sits within the Policy and Trade branch. This team :

• Leads responses to significant trade issues
• Negotiates and drives market access requests
• Has market specific Counsellors which work closely with Plant Exports to respond to sector specific issues raised by markets
• Runs an annual prioritisation process to ensure individual Counsellors can put adequate resourcing behind individual requests to progress agreed work and make the most of opportunities as they arise .

 
The Plant Exports team sits within the Biosecurity Import and Export Standards directorate within Biosecurity NZ. This team

• Provides technical support to Sectors to assist with exporting and developing market access requests
• Has sector-specific advisers who help Sectors deal with the technical requirements of market access, including developing and maintaining Official Assurance Programmes (OAPs) where required
• Is primarily responsible for phytosanitary areas but also provides technical information for food safety, seed varietal, grade and industry-specific issues
• Leads approval and management of MPI-approved organisations (MAOs) within the Plant Export Assurance system

 
The Plant Assurance team sits within the Assurance Directorate in New Zealand Food Safety. This team

• Develops and maintains the assurance systems
• Is responsible for ePhyto and the provision of phytocerts
• Develops new assurances if required
• Updates assurance standards
• Audits and communicates requirements to IVA’s

MPI's Information to assist exporters

MPI's website provides information on how to export, what is invoved and how to get an export certificate. There is also Information on specific export requirements for plant products, including for fruit & vegetables, seeds & grain for sowing, nursery stock & cut flowers such as: 

• Importing countries' phytosanitary requirements (ICPR) and,
• MPI’s Phytosanitary Certification Standards which outline what is required to gain a phytosanitary certificate from MPI.

Additional FOR YOUR INFORMATION and guidance documents for all primary product exports can aslo be found on the MPI website. These can include information such as country registration requirements.

If you have a specific question about exporting plant products and require additional assistance, MPI offers an Exporter Help service

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Funding to assist with market access
 
MPI’s Bilateral Relations and Trade team is responsible for opening up new markets and supporting/enhancing existing trade. 
 
Once a market access request, for new or improved market access, is prioritised by the Bilateral Relations and Trade team, the sector/ business will work with the Pant Exports team and Market Access counsellor to prepare the required information for the target market.  A  guide to requesting and gaining new market access is on the MPI website. MPI charges the entity applying for access for this time.
 
While there is limited funding available to help organisations and sectors with market access issues. Potential funding sources include:

• MPI: Larger projects that include a market access component may receive funding from MPI’s Primary Sector Growth fund.
• Agmardt: offers funding to investigate or develop markets   
• NZTE: provides assistance  with understanding and developing a market