Escarpment Vineyard. Image courtesy New Zealand Winegrowers Inc.

A new trade certification system is being rolled out in New Zealand to support the country’s exports, positioning the wine industry to benefit under the recent European Union Free Trade agreement.

This “modernisation” of New Zealand’s trade certification system is designed to make the process of selling Kiwi products overseas more reliable and adaptable into the future, explained New Zealand’s Food Safety Minister, Andrew Hoggard.

“Exporters have told us they want a system that is always available when they need it, easier to use and more flexible, that responds better and faster to new market requirements and emerging trends,” said Hoggard.

“This government is committed to doing everything it can to facilitate that trade by ensuring we have modern and robust systems that can accommodate changing market requirements. A modern system of providing government assurances to our overseas trading partners is an important part of that picture.”

The new system is being rolled out in stages, with the new wine certification process launched this week, and certification for other products such as plant products and animal products (including dairy) to follow next year.

The change will grant the ability for the wine industry to gain benefits under the recent European Union Free Trade agreement which was not available in the previous system.

“Exports are currently certified under six different legacy systems that would otherwise require significant investment to maintain,” said Hoggard. “The new Trade Certification System will replace these aging systems, giving exporters a single, integrated, and digital process.”

“Taken together these changes will help future-proof our certification process to the benefit of every exporter and associated business.”

Officials from the Ministry for Primary Industries have worked closely with wine exporters to ensure they understand what is required for the new system and have assured the sector that the transition will not disrupt their operations as they head into harvest early next year.

More information about the rollout is on the Ministry for Primary Industries website.

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