IMPORT & EXPORT STATUS: NOTICE OF REPLACEMENT OF NEW ZEALAND FOOD SAFETY

Posted 2 years ago by NZ Freight

Imports

  1. New Zealand Food Safety Notices: In February, New Zealand Food Safety issued two new notices related to imported food. The “Food Notice: Requirements for Registered Importers and Imported Food for Sale” will replace the current “Food Notice: Importing Food” on 1 August 2023. These changes apply to all registered food importers. Since 2015, registered food importers have been responsible for conducting safety and suitability assessments before importing food, ensuring safe and suitable storage and transportation of food, maintaining traceable records, and having a recall plan in place for unsafe or unsuitable food.
  2. Port Congestion: Auckland and Lyttelton ports are experiencing mini peaks of congestion, with vessel arrivals being erratic and not following the usual schedule. Other ports in New Zealand seem to be operating satisfactorily, but delays are occurring due to issues at offshore ports.
  3. Container Depot Capacity: There is an ongoing problem with container depot capacity, particularly at several large sites in Auckland. Limited dehire slots are available, which is causing difficulties in managing container movements.
  4. VBS Booking Cost Increase: The VBS (Vehicle Booking System) booking cost has increased this month at Metroport and some container depots. As a result, the Container Booking Fee will be adjusted to NZD145.00 per container from 1st August.

 

Exports

  1. Lyttelton and Tauranga are major ports located in New Zealand. It appears that these ports have been facing move count restrictions, which means there are limitations on the number of ship movements or port calls they can accommodate within a specific timeframe.

    Move count restrictions can be imposed due to various reasons, such as limited port infrastructure, adverse weather conditions, or other operational constraints. When these restrictions are in place, shipping companies and vessel operators may face challenges in adhering to their regular port rotations and schedules. As a result, they may have to make last-minute changes to their planned routes, which could lead to delays or even omitting certain ports from their rotations altogether.