Compensation & Operational Costs
Info for affected farmers
Operational costs are costs you incur because of the restrictions you are under. You may be able to request reimbursement for some on-farm costs if there is an urgent need, or to meet M. bovis Programme requirements. Examples include additional transport costs, mustering and feed supplies.
Compensation is for losses you experience as a direct result of MPI’s exercise of regulatory powers as part of the M. bovis Response. Examples include damage to or destruction of property and losses as a result of restrictions imposed on the movement or disposal of goods (e.g. animals).
Compensation vs Operational Costs - FAQs
Farmer tip
Good record keeping is essential to any claim. Keep clear records of your contracts, correspondence, verbal instructions given by MPI and AQ staff, and details of any losses you have suffered.
You need to seek prior agreement on any actions and operational costs you wish to claim for.
Operational costs need pre-approval before the expenditure is incurred. Operational payments are considered as part of any compensable losses claimed.
Work with your Farm Systems Manager (FSM), who will help you to have these approved.
You can apply for support for the following on-farm operational costs.
For more information about operational costs, please talk your Farm Systems Manager.
Are you the legal owner?
MPI can only pay the legal owner of the affected property - you need to provide evidence to show that you’re the legal owner of the property, goods or stock directly affected by MPI's exercise of powers.
When to make a claim
You can claim compensation from the date the loss was incurred. Claims cannot be made in advance of a loss being incurred. All claims should be submitted to MPI within one year from the date the loss could be reasonably verified.
Making a claim - checklist of what we need
Make sure you've provided us with:
Once you have completed your claim form, email a copy along with your supporting information to compensationcoordinator@mpi.govt.nz
Someone from the compensation team will contact you with the outcome as soon as possible.
We encourage you to use DBCAT (DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ Compensation Assistance Team) to help you put your compensation claim together.
DBCAT provides a free service supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and run independently by DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ.
They will help you to:
Compensation Guide for Farmers - This guide from DBCAT has a lot of valuable advice about the compensation process, and how they can help.
Contact DBCAT
Once MPI’s Compensation Team receives your compensation claim form, along with all your supporting information, they will start the assessment. They'll then seek approval of any decision.
Making more than one claim
You'll need to make a separate claim for each of the different types of losses you have incurred. You will have to complete the relevant claim form associated with the losses.
All claims should be submitted to MPI within one year of the date of loss. If you experience further losses after being paid compensation, you can still submit further claims.
Payment of compensation depends on you meeting certain conditions laid out in the Biosecurity Act. In order for the M. bovis Programme to pay compensation, we need to be able to support your loss. To do this, you will need to provide information that substantiates the type and amount of loss.
It’s a good idea to keep all the documents and records that can support the verification of your claim. These include paid invoices, statements, farmland accounts, milk dockets, pasture records and contracts.
You also need to show you considered and took reasonable steps to mitigate (reduce or avoid) the loss. To do this, explain the steps you considered to mitigate your loss, and what steps you actually took. This may include making changes to farm operations to avoid losses or using alternative ways to generate income.
Compensation can only be paid for loss caused as a direct result of MPI’s exercise of powers. This could follow a Notice of Direction (NOD) to depopulate animals, or as a result of movement controls.
If you culled stock without direction from MPI, or had stock that were culled before any NOD was issued or movement controls began, you will be unlikely to meet the eligibility criteria set out in the Act.
For voluntary culls, you will need to provide evidence of those losses. MPI will look at compensation on a case-by-case basis.
If you don’t agree with the assessment of your claim, you can request an internal re-assessment. This option is available for up to 12 months after we’ve sent you a decision letter. You can request an internal re-assessment by emailing CompensationCoordinator@mpi.govt.nz.
If you’ve had your claim re-assessed internally and don’t agree with the re-assessment of your claim, you can request an independent review. This option is available for up to 3 months from the date of the letter advising the outcome of the re-assessment. You can request an independent review by emailing Secretariat.Mbovis@mpi.govt.nz.
For general information about claiming compensation, please contact the Compensation Coordinator: