Risk Management Proposal 
DRAFT FOR EXTERNAL CONSULTATION 
Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products from 
Australia  
MEAPORIC.AUS  
19 December 2019   
 
 
Disclaimer  
This risk management proposal does not constitute, and should not be regarded as, legal advice. While every 
effort has been made to ensure the information in this document is accurate, the Ministry for Primary Industries 
does not accept any responsibility or liability whatsoever for any error of fact, omission, interpretation or opinion 
that may be present, however it may have occurred.  
© Crown Copyright - Ministry for Primary Industries  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contact for further information : 
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)  
Agriculture and Investment Services  
Animal Imports  
PO Box 2526  
Wellington 6140  
Email: animal.imports@mpi.govt.nz  
Telephone:  04 890 0134  
 Risk Management Proposal:  Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products from Australia 
Draft for Consultation 19 December 2019  
Ministry for Primary Industries Page 1 Contents 
1 Purpose 3 
2 Background 3 
3 Objective 3 
4 Commodity definition 3 
5 Considerations for specific requirements 3 
6 Third country products 4 Risk Management Proposal:  Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products from Australia 
Draft for Consultation 19 December 2019  
Ministry for Primary Industries Page 3 1 Purpose  
The purpose of this document is to: 
 Show how options for the management of risk organisms have been assessed.
 Provide recommendations for import requirements.
2 Background  
There is an existing import health standard (IHS) for pig meat and pig meat products from Australi a 
(MEAPORIC.AUS , dated 23 May 2000 ). 
It is proposed that this IHS is updated in accordance with the requirements and guidance programme (RGP). 
Additionally, it is proposed that the draft IHS includes third country pig meat products; namely, products that are 
processed in Australia, using imported pig meat or pig meat product. See discussion of third country products in 
section 6 below.   
The imported pig meat and pig meat product can only be sourced from Canada, European Union (EU) or United 
States of America (USA), and meet the requirements in the relevant IHS s for those countries. 
The relevant IHSs for the source countries are: 
 Pig meat and pig meat products for human consumption from Canada and/or the United States of
America , MEAPORIC.NAM dated 18 March 2011
 Pig meat and pig meat products for human consumption from the European Union , MEAPORIC.EU dated
18 March 2011. 
The requirements in the draft IHS reflect the import conditions in the existing IHSs for pig meat and pig meat 
products. The update has assessed the risks associated with pig meat and pig meat products from Australia, and 
considers these risks to be effectively managed.    
3 Objective  
The objective is to effectively manage biosecurity risks associated with the import of pig meat and pig meat 
products from Australia con sistent with New Zealand’s domestic legislation and international obligations . 
4 Commodity definition 
(1) For the purposes of the IHS, pig meat and pig meat products are derived from domestic and wild pigs of 
the species Sus scrofa.  
(2) Meat is defined as all edible parts of an animal, and includes skeletal muscle meat, blood, offal, fat and 
bone.  
(3) Commodities derived from pig meat and pig meat products such as composite products (where the pig 
meat is a component of the product) will be eligible for import as long as all the ingredients in the product 
meet the requirements of their respective IHSs. 
5 Considerations for specific requirements 
(1) Under the current IHS for Australia, pig meat and pig meat products are eligible for importation if the 
following are met: Risk Management Proposal:  Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products from Australia 
Draft for Consultation 19 December 2019  
Ministry for Primary Industries Page 4 a) The products shall be identifiable as being product originating from Australia and/or New Zealand;
b) The products shall be commercially packed in the original unopened packaging. Full containers of
meat shall be sealed;
c) The products may be derived from domestic pigs or wild pigs;
d) Edible offal must have been frozen to -18°C during transport to New Zealand.
(2) The current IHS does not require veterinary certification for Australian origin pig meat and pig meat 
products . Similarly, for the draft IHS, no certification is proposed for Australian origin pork .  
6 Third country  products 
(1) Third country products refer to  pig meat and pig meat products that originated in a country other than 
Australia and/or New Zealand, and were imported into Australia, where they were repackaged or further 
process ed, before export to New Zealand. 
(2) Further processing means: 
a) the product was cooked in an Australian facility1; or
b) the product was imported from a third country, and subsequently transferred to a processed food
manufacturer and made into another product (e.g. heat and eat meal such as a pizza).
(3) The imported pig meat and pig meat products are sourced from countries approved by MPI to export pig 
meat and pig meat products to New Zealand directly, and meet the requirements in the relevant import 
health standards for those countries. The source countries are Canada, EU and USA. 
(4) The third country pig meat products must meet the following import requirements for New Zealand: 
a) Country or zone disease freedom (e.g. foot and mouth disease , African swine fever and classical
swine fever); and/or
b) Cooked or cured.
(5) Cooking and curing parameters described in the pig meat and pig meat products IHSs for the EU and 
Canada/USA are risk mitigation measures for porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS) 
virus. These requirements must be met in Australia prior to export to New Zealand. PRRS measures are 
not required for pig meat derived from pigs from Australia or New Zealand as PRRS is not present in these 
countries .  