Weekly Update: Your questions answered 9 December 2019

Welcome to our new weekly update report for the BMSB season. We want to keep you informed of our work and answer your questions. We'll include eBACCa queue processing times and volumes.

This week

Sea freight queue

For the coming week, sea freight application turnaround is estimated at 3-6 days.

COB Friday 6th December status: There were 1375 sea freight application in the queue (includes Australian application) and TET were processing applications due back 6th December (4 hours behind operational performance targets).

There were 179 applications to be left to be processed before Monday 9th December.

On Monday 9th December, morning the total sea freight queue (includes Australian applications) stood at 871  applications and TET are processing applications due 9th December, 7.5  hours in front of operational performance targets.

Airfreight queue

For the coming week, air freight application turnaround is estimated at 3- 8 hours.

COB Friday 6th December status: there were 353 air freight applications left in the queue (includes Australia) of which 200 had to be completed on Friday 6th December, 153  applications were due back Monday 9th  December.   

On Monday 9th December morning there were two airfreight applications due, in the queue with the remaining applications due thereafter. 

Australia queue

For the coming week, Australia container applications turnaround is estimated at 2-3 days. 

COB Friday 6th December status : Australia queue stood at 331 applications (43 Air, 21 Sea) with 64 applications  left to complete all of Friday’s due applications.

On Monday 9th December morning the Australian queue had 160 applications with consignments being processed due 9th December (7 hours ahead of operational performance targets).

Pressure point:

• None noted

Applications processed Weekly 2nd December – 8th December

All timings are based on business hours from 7am to 5pm.

Customer Enquiries Centre

Number of emails sent to bmsb@mpi.govt.nz 

Number of emails sent to standards@mpi.govt.nz 

Your questions answered

Topic 1 – Will my shipment require fumigation at point of origin?

Example

I have a couple of customers importing machines from both Canada and Germany.

At both of the factory’s in Canada and Germany, the containers are loaded in loading bays with the container backed up in the loading dock and left on the trailer for loading to be picked up after loading is done.

Would this be classed as loaded inside the factory and hence not require fumigation or would this require fumigation at origin?

So in the instance where everything is stored inside and loaded in to a container in a loading bay where the freight is loaded from inside straight into the container, would this require fumigation?

Answer

The time taken loading in the dock way does not present a significant risk.

You would still meet the exclusion and not require fumigation for BMSB.

Topic 2 – Will personal items require BMSB treatment?

Example

We are French family moving to New Zealand very soon and we are having a hard time getting the right information from the transport companies.

We are shipping 2m3 by LCL cargo from Le Havre to Auckland or Tauranga.

Our personal effects contains books, two wicker baskets, our sons toys and bed, an oven and a dishwasher, clothes and a few small tools.

I thought I understood from the MPI website that books and wicker baskets could be risk goods, so we must treat our package for BSBM by heat or by chemical products?

The transports companies are telling us different things and we are a bit lost.

We want to be sure to follow the right process.

Answer:

The BMSB target risk season applies to targeted risk goods [Vehicles, Machinery and Parts] arriving from specified risk countries (Schedule 3) and containerised risk good originating in Italy, shipped on or after 1 September and arriving in New Zealand on or before 30 April of any year.

• IHS for Vehicles, Machinery, and Parts
• Guidance document for Vehicles, Machinery, and Parts
• IHS for Sea Containers
• Guidance document for the IHS for Sea Containers from All Countries 

Your items do not look like Vehicles, Machinery and Parts. If so, you will not require BMSB management.

Topic 3 – Is my cargo ex Italy considered sensitive?

Example

We are currently wanting to export cork stoppers to be used on wine bottles ex Italy. I cannot see cork stoppers on the list of sensitive cargo. Could you please clarify is cork stoppers used in the beverage and food industry, are considered sensitive cargo. Please advise the process for having cork stoppers included on the sensitive cargo list.

Answer:

Cork stoppers used in the food industry can be classified under sensitive cargo “food –grade packaging material”.

Risk goods and cargo considered sensitive to treatment

What to do if you consider your cargo to be sensitive and it is not listed:

Importers must notify MPI in writing that the cargo is considered to be sensitive to treatment at the time of application for biosecurity clearance so that appropriate MPI intervention can be arranged.

This should be done before arrival of the container and cargo to New Zealand as failure of an importer to notify MPI of the sensitive nature of the sea container and cargo may result in delays to biosecurity clearance being provided, or re-shipment or destruction of the sea container and cargo.

Find previous updates on our website.