Source: Ministry for Primary Industries
Closing Date:
Contact: Food safety
Have your say
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the Animal Status Declaration (ASD) form.
The ASD was last changed in 2012. Since then a number of changes to our trade environment and our Bovine Tuberculosis Programme means that it’s time to update it. The changes have been made based on feedback from producer and processor organisations.
Consultation document
Draft Animal Status Declaration (ASD) [PDF, 1.6 MB]
Related document
The current ASD form [PDF, 195 KB]
Making your submission
Email your feedback on the draft documents by 5pm on Friday, 10 July 2020.
We encourage you to use the template to help you give feedback:
Submission template [DOCX, 202 KB]
Email your submission to animal.products@mpi.govt.nz
While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:
Animal Products
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand.
What to include in your submission about the updated ASD form
Make sure you tell us in your submission:
- the title of the consultation document
- your name and title
- your organisation’s name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation, and whether your submission represents the whole organisation or a section of it)
- your contact details (such as phone number, address, and email).
Let us know:
- whether the level of detail is appropriate
- whether there are areas that need more guidance
- any additional feedback.
Next steps after the consultation
Once the new form is issued, a transition period of 12 months will allow for phasing out of stocks of printed ASDs with processors, OSPRI, and on farms. After the transition period, only the new form will be valid. It is expected that any electronic ASD systems will accommodate the changes when the form is issued.
Background information about the ASD form
The Animal Status Declaration (ASD) form is a vital component of the market eligibility system that underpins the Government’s ability to sign export certificates. It applies to cattle, deer, sheep, lambs, goats, ostriches, emus, horses, alpacas and llamas. A separate ASD is required for pigs but the form for pigs is not being changed at this stage.
The purpose of the ASD is to transfer key information about an animal, or group of animals, to the next person in charge of the animals, and ultimately to the processor.
Practices on farms, lifestyle blocks, and other places where food-producing animals are kept, impact on the safety and suitability of animals for processing. It can also affect the resulting animal products’ eligibility for trade. Knowledge of these practices is essential for our export trade.
Find out more about animal status declarations
The ASD also incorporates the Bovine Tuberculosis questions required by the Animal Health Board under the Biosecurity (National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Plan) Order 1998.
Biosecurity (National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Plan) Order 1998 – NZ Legislation
Submissions are public information
Note, that any submission you make becomes public information. People can ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we have to make submissions available unless we have a good reason for withholding it. That is explained in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.
Tell us if you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include that it’s commercially sensitive or it’s personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.
