Posting honey overseas.

[john berry 5,636]

Try as I may I cannot understand why with no change in the law it has become a illegal to post honey overseas. I had several very disappointed customers today at the farmers market.

I don't know a lot about what has happened but as far as I can see it is because of a ruling from MPI.

It is way past time beekeepers stop being pushed around by bureaucrats with no idea of reality and the damage they cause and this is by no means the only situation where gross stupidity from people that are supposed to be helping the beekeeping industry have caused immeasurable harm.

You can take honey in your suitcase when you fly to England and give it to someone so why can't you post it to the same person. Honey is not some deep dark illegal product.

I would really appreciate people's thoughts on this.

[Grant 4,298]

Most of it changed in September from what I recall.

 

 

[ChrisM 1,277]

4 hours ago, john berry said:

You can take honey in your suitcase when you fly to England and give it to someone so why can't you post it to the same person. Honey is not some deep dark illegal product.

I would really appreciate people's thoughts on this.

discussed in other threads. It is entirely down to MPI. The only solution is a political one for everyone who is affected to talk to their local MP and to copy any correspondence to the Minister for PI.

[frazzledfozzle 7,484]

MPI...no surprises there  

[Maggie James 906]

 

Sending honey from NZ | MPI | NZ Government

WWW.MPI.GOVT.NZ

---

<p>Honey is an animal product, and only registered exporters can send animal products out of New Zealand even if it’s a gift or for personal use.</p>

It would appear that if you are a registered exporter on this list, your customers can send your product overseas.  But then again, my interpretation may be incorrect, or by the time I finish typing this the law may have changed again.  

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Maggie James
https://www.foodsafety.govt.nz/registers-lists/exporters/index.htm?setup_file=exporters-ssi.setup.cgi&rows_to_return=20000&submit_search=Search

[john berry 5,636]

I have looked at the MPI's reasons for the ban but I cannot find why it was fine a year ago and now it's not.

They are basically saying that honey is an animal product and as such you must be licensed to exported it.

Mark Goodwin has argued that honey is not an animal product but a plant product and should be treated as such.

I can see his point and think it's probably time that beekeepers in New Zealand United to get honey out of the animal products and into plant products. Sugar for instance is a plant product despite being heavily modified and refined by upright apes. One of the biggest problems with having honey called an animal product is that it is lumped in with things like meat and milk and I know what I would rather eat if it had been left sitting on a hot bench for a month.

If stopping someone sending a few pots of honey in the mail is so vital to New Zealand's reputation why is it fine for the same person to take that same honey to the same person in their luggage? There are countries including New Zealand that do not allow the importation of honey for by security reasons and I have  absolutely no problem with that but for the rest it's just nonsense.

[yesbut 6,232]

Have any members raised this with Apinz ?

[Grant 4,298]

@Bighands what happened to your ministerial reply in relation to the previous topic on this subject ?

 

[Bighands 1,065]

As soon as I get my printer and scanner fixed i will send the reply to you.

[Dennis Crowley 1,351]

2 hours ago, yesbut said:

Have any members raised this with Apinz ?

APINZ has many discussions on this subject with MPI. MPI standard reply is the rules are the rules. Dont under estimate people to send a lot of little small parcels claiming them as just samples but need a container to carry them all.

[john berry 5,636]

Hi Dennis. Do you know if this Postal ban was caused by a change in the law or a reinterpretation of the law.?

[tristan 4,362]

i would not be surprised if it was a move done to curb grey exports and those who illegally export.

eg online honey sales posting overseas in small quantities, pretending to send a gift, and bypassing all the rules commercials have to go through. ie sending nz only honey or non-eu honey to the eu.

 

[Dennis Crowley 1,351]

17 minutes ago, john berry said:

Hi Dennis. Do you know if this Postal ban was caused by a change in the law or a reinterpretation of the law.?

I think it was Postal deciding to stick to the rules and not having staff at different locations interpreting what they think the rules are.

[yesbut 6,232]

Can we post a packet of milk powder ?

[Bighands 1,065]

No ,you cannot unless you have an export licence

[Maggie James 906]

13 hours ago, Dennis Crowley said:

I think it was Postal deciding to stick to the rules and not having staff at different locations interpreting what they think the rules are.

To avoid diverse intrepretations, surely NZ Post have protocol manuals and staff training sessions.  

 

My understanding from government announcements latetly, that the primary sector is driving the economy.  Therefore, why can't beekeepers who appear on the MPI list of registered honey exporters not be able to sell to people wishing to send honey overseas via the post?  Beekeepers on this list are all trying to get maximum value for their products.  And why can't customers of beekeepers whose products are extracted/processed/packed under compliance not also send.  

 

Post Covid, MPI and other govt departments are majorily concerned about protectionism creeping into our export markets with tariff barriers.  Yet, here back home before the product leaves our shores, NZ Post are creating their own barrier for compliant beekeepers.  I think NZ Post need to think about how they can assist the government's aims, and they need to think about the negative PR they appear to be garnering.  Bad PR can often create good competitors and alternative solutions.  Maybe NZ Post really aren't interested in staying in business with postal services.  

[john berry 5,636]

I can't post honey to my son in Norway but I can send Marmite.

The vast majority of Norwegians think that New Zealanders are very sick puppies to eat Marmite so posting Marmite is far more likely to damage New Zealand's reputation than honey.

[gordie 27]

34 minutes ago, john berry said:

I can't post honey to my son in Norway but I can send Marmite.

The vast majority of Norwegians think that New Zealanders are very sick puppies to eat Marmite so posting Marmite is far more likely to damage New Zealand's reputation than honey.

You would be less of a sick puppy if you ate vegemite!! 

[Grant 4,298]

1 hour ago, Maggie James said:

Therefore, why can't beekeepers who appear on the MPI list of registered honey exporters not be able to sell to people wishing to send honey overseas via the post?  Beekeepers on this list are all trying to get maximum value for their products.  And why can't customers of beekeepers whose products are extracted/processed/packed under compliance not also send. 

 

They can surely, or am I missing something?
Para 1. The sender of the Honey or Bee products must be a registered exporter, or the product is being shipped on behalf of a registered exporter. 

 

Where does it say the registered exporter can't sell the product also?

 

[ChrisM 1,277]

16 hours ago, yesbut said:

Can we post a packet of milk powder ?

very much on topic.

So, what if I want to send a bottle of wine overseas as a gift.

Is that like Marmite or do I need to be a registered exporter for that also?

[Maurice Field 0]

I sent wine to a friend in California US Customs sent it back. You cannot post wine to or from the USA

 

 

 

 

[Trevor Gillbanks 6,847]

2 hours ago, Maurice Field said:

I sent wine to a friend in California US Customs sent it back. You cannot post wine to or from the USA

 

 

 

 

Then, how did they manage to send it back.

 

[Kiwi Bee 589]

I sill do not get it.

Is I buy a pot of honey from PnS, let say made by one of the big players, and I would like to send it to EU. Can I do it or not?

If NZ Post doesn't do the job, what about DHL?

[Grant 4,298]

Irrelevant what courier you use. All the documents and instructions are in the topics.

[nab 86]

On 6/12/2020 at 4:29 PM, Maurice Field said:

I sent wine to a friend in California US Customs sent it back. You cannot post wine to or from the USA

you should have sent firelighters