Exporting under the dairy quota programme

An export licence is also known as an allocation of quota. You'll need a licence before you can export certain dairy products to the designated markets. We allocate export licences between August and September of each year during an allocation round.

To take part in the allocation round and receive a licence, there are a few steps you'll need to follow.

Make sure you're registered as an exporter

Only registered animal product exporters can apply for an export licence. Make sure you're registered by following the instructions.

Find out how to register as an exporter

Take part in the allocation round

We'll call for submissions to take part in the export licence allocation round in August of each year. We do this in the August prior to the start of the next quota year to ensure you've got time to ship product to the designated markets.

If you're eligible, we'll allocate export licences based on the percentage of total milk solids you've collected from dairy farmers in the most recent season, or an average of the 2 or 3 most recent seasons – whichever is the highest.

You'll receive an export licence for a particular market if your share in that market equates to 20 tonnes or more of product to the market for the quota year. If it's less, we'll re-allocate it among the other eligible participants.

Collect and submit your milk solids data as a statutory declaration

To be eligible to receive a licence, you'll need to have collected and acquired legal title in at least 0.1% of total milk solids collected from dairy farmers in New Zealand.

You need to submit this data to us in the form of a statutory declaration. If you're not sure whether you've collected enough milk solids to receive a licence, you can still submit your data by statutory declaration for consideration.

Processors supply us with the latest season's data, with the option of providing the previous season, or previous 2 season's data, and MPI determines which average to use.

You must have the declaration signed by either the chief executive or a director of your company. A Justice of the Peace or a solicitor must also witness and sign this declaration.

Required text for a statutory declaration [PDF, 10 KB]

Once you've made your statutory declaration, email it to dairy.quota@mpi.govt.nz

Or post it to:

Attention: Food Regulation
Dairy Quota Allocation and Transfers
MPI Food Regulation
PO Box 2526
Wellington.

The costs of export licences

The Quota Management System and Quota Management Register handle dairy quota export approvals and record who currently holds export licences.

Export licence holders are invoiced quarterly for the costs of running these systems, in proportion to the tonnes they're allocated under the export licence. The Dairy Export Quota Products Notice sets the amount.

Dairy Export Quota Products Notice – Amount to recover for year [PDF, 181 KB]

Transferring export licences

If you hold an export licence, you may be able to transfer it to another eligible person under regulations associated with the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act.

You and the transferee are responsible for working out the commercial terms of the transfer – government agencies aren't involved. Note that you will need to register the transfer with MPI.

Dairy Industry Restructuring (Transfer of Export Licences) 

You can transfer any amount of a licence greater than 20 tonnes in a single transaction. You can only transfer parts of the licence that haven't been used.

Transfers become effective from the date when MPI notifies the transferor and transferee.

Registering the transfer of export licences

Both the transferor and the transferee will need to apply to the chief executive of MPI for registration of the transfer on the register of export licence holders. This needs to be done in writing.

Note that for each transfer concerning a different designated market and quota year, we'll require a separate application.

Find out what you need for a transfer

If you're planning a transfer, then you'll need to submit an application with the following information:

• the full name, address, and contact details of both yourself and the transferee (including a contact name, phone number, and email address)
• the designated market and the product
• the volume of quota exports
• the period for which the amount of export licence to be transferred is valid (the quota year for which it is valid and, in the case of butter to the EU, the sub-period of a quota year for which it is valid)
• the date the export licence was first allocated or registered to the transferor.

Transferring an export licence – Application form [PDF, 64 KB]

Guidance document: Dairy export quota products [PDF, 719 KB]

Once you've got approval to export to a designated market, you'll need to develop a Quota Compliance Programme (QCP) and get it approved.

A QCP is a document designed to ensure a dairy quota product meets the access requirements of a designated market. It's your responsibility to put it together, and make sure it outlines the various manufacturing, storage, testing, and export procedures.

As an exporter, you can have a QCP for both manufacturing and exporting. Or, you can have a QCP for exporting and source dairy products from a manufacturer with a QCP.

Make sure your QCP meets the requirements

You need to develop your QCP document to meet the requirements of the Animal Products (Regulated Control Scheme – Dairy Export Quota Products) Regulations 2008, as well as the Animal Products Notice: Dairy Export Quota Products and Related Export Approvals.

Your QCP will need to detail how you meet the requirements of the regulations and the Notice for the particular designated market.

The Animal Products (Regulated Control Scheme - Dairy Export Quota Products) Regulations 2008 

Animal Products Notice: Regulated Control Scheme - Dairy Export Quota Products and Related Export Approvals [PDF, 552 KB]

Fill out the validation sheet

Once you've developed your QCP, use the validation sheet to ensure you've ticked all the right boxes. This is important, as we'll audit your QCP prior to approval.

QCP validation sheet [DOC, 196 KB]

Get your QCP approved

When you've developed your QCP and checked it against the QCP validation sheet, you're ready to send it to MPI.

Email it to approvals@mpi.govt.nz and QMSCertificationand.ExportApproval@mpi.govt.nz

AP52 – Application form for submitting QCP for approval [PDF, 286 KB]

Once you've got an export licence and a QCP, you'll need to apply for export approval from MPI before the consignment leaves New Zealand. This is commonly issued as a certificate or authorisation.

You apply using the web-based Quota Management System (QMS). To get access to QMS, email eCert.Admin@mpi.govt.nz

When applying for access, ask for the web link and user access. Each user needs to have their own login.

When you apply for export approval, we'll process the request in the QMS. If you're successful, we'll print the necessary certificates. We also use the QMS to manage dairy industry quota.

When applying, you'll need to provide basic dairy quota product information, as well as information about the exporter. You can provide these details using the dairy quota product specification application form.

Dairy quota product specification application form [PDF, 48 KB]

If approved, you'll receive an export approval, which is determined by the requirements of the designated market. For example, quota butter going to the EU would require an IMA 1 certificate, while cheese going to the USA would require authorisation issued online within the QMS.

Make a Summary of Records declaration

You'll also need to supply a Summary of Records declaration. We need one of these declarations for every consignment where you seek export approval.

View Summary of Records templates [PDF, 43 KB]

When you've filled out the application form and provided a Summary of Records declaration, email it to QMSCertificationand.ExportApproval@mpi.govt.nz

Understanding the Quota Management Register (QMR)

Alongside the QMS, we also maintain a Quota Management Register. We use the QMR to manage dairy product information and volumes of export licensing.

Some of the information includes:

• quota periods
• export licence holders and allocations
• remaining volumes of export licence
• approved product specifications for dairy product.

You're ready to export when you have all of the required licences, documents and approvals.

Make sure you've:

• registered as an exporter (see Step 1) 
• applied for and received an export licence (Step 1)
• put together a QCP and had it validated and approved (Step 2)
• applied for and received export approval (Step 3)
• made a Summary of Records declaration (Step 3).

Other requirements

Finally, the importing country authorities and New Zealand authorities may require any or all of the following:

• a health or sanitary certificate
• a country of origin certificate
• a valid import licence
• a valid customs export entry.

Find out more about exporting dairy products