Skip to main content

Policy proposals for the Aquaculture Biosecurity Programme

Update – 14 November 2024

New direction for aquaculture biosecurity

Following this consultation, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) reported to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries and Minister for Biosecurity on the outcome and next steps.

Ministers have agreed to formally close the Aquaculture Biosecurity Programme, and instead, agreed to a different approach to deliver better biosecurity for aquaculture.

The new approach refocuses actions on:

  • developing best practice guidelines for open ocean salmon operators. Open ocean aquaculture is a priority for the Government.
  • supporting ongoing industry initiatives.
  • supporting resource management processes to deliver regional solutions to biosecurity.

One of the workstreams of the Aquaculture Biosecurity Programme will continue to be progressed as well. This is the workstream to streamline the aquaculture regulatory system and deliver better reporting and record-keeping.

Analysis of submissions received on policy proposals for the Aquaculture Biosecurity Programme [PDF, 131 KB]

Background to this consultation

We worked with partners and stakeholders to develop a new approach to aquaculture biosecurity.

The aim of the Aquaculture Biosecurity Programme was for New Zealand to have a comprehensive aquaculture biosecurity system by 2025 that would:

  • promote, protect, and sustain the environment and the aquaculture industry
  • enable growth of the sector.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) developed policy proposals to deliver the new approach. From 22 June to 31 August 2023, we invited comments on the policy proposals for the programme.

Your feedback was essential to help us understand:

  • whether our proposals were the best way to strengthen New Zealand's aquaculture biosecurity system
  • what impacts these proposals might have on you, your business, and our environment.

Consultation document 

Aquaculture Biosecurity Programme: Discussion document [PDF, 5.4 MB]

What was proposed?

We identified 2 core objectives.

  1. A nationally consistent approach to aquaculture biosecurity management. A comprehensive aquaculture biosecurity system must manage biosecurity risks across the entire aquaculture industry and the associated high-risk pathways in a practical and effective way.
  2. Protecting biosecurity values (economic resilience of the industry, social values, the environment, cultural values, and the interests and rights of tangata whenua).

To meet the objectives, we developed a set of policy proposals. These included:

  • creating new regulations to require each fish farm to create and implement on-farm biosecurity plans
  • commencing the repeal of the Freshwater Fish Farming Regulations 1983 to simplify the aquaculture regulatory system
  • setting new recordkeeping and reporting requirements for aquaculture farmers
  • focusing 'pathway' (the ways pests and diseases can spread) management initially on a national pathway management plan
  • establishing an aquatic animal health surveillance programme focused on aquaculture and nearby wild populations.

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

MPI business units