January 9, 2014
New Zealand allows import of fresh US pork
Fresh US pork will soon be eligible to be sold in New Zealand, after a long legal challenge.
The New Zealand Supreme Court recently declined to overturn regulations- originally issued in 2011- that will allow US chilled and frozen pork to enter New Zealand in retail-ready packages of three kilogrammes or less. Relief will also be extended to imports from Canada, the EU and the state of Sonora in Mexico.
New Zealand''s imports of pork from the US, Canada, the EU and the state of Sonora in Mexico have been limited to pre-cooked products or pork shipped directly to designated cooking facilities in New Zealand. As a measure designed to prevent the introduction of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a viral disease affecting pigs, these restrictions were put in place in 2001 into New Zealand. But as Joel Haggard, US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) senior vice president for the Asia Pacific explains, the new import regulations are the result of a thorough, science-based risk assessment conducted by regulators in New Zealand.
US pork exports to New Zealand grew from just US$4.4 million in 2003 to nearly US$24 million in 2012. US exports slowed slightly in 2013, but should finish the year at about US$22.5 million. New Zealand''s pork imports from all sources grew from US$42 million in 2003 to about US$118 million last year. Haggard says that with USMEF''s strong network of importer contacts, the ability to offer fresh/frozen items in retail outlets should create new opportunities for US pork in this increasingly competitive market. Other pork suppliers serving New Zealand include Canada, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Australia (among these, only Australia is not subject to PRRS-related restrictions).