Unsung heroes under the soil
Much of the scientific work being carried out at the Massey University led regenerative agriculture project, Whenua Haumanu, is below the ground.
And the Ministry for Primary Industries is working with farmers and animal transporters to raise compliance.
MPI’s national manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance Gray Harrison has thanked the trucking industry for its support.
“We’re working in whatever way we can to continue to drive that figure up and we appreciate the support of the trucking industry to achieve that,” says Harrison.
“Truck drivers have a lot of interaction with farmers so it’s great they’re helping to carry this important message. The simple act of asking for a declaration gives people in charge of animals a good reminder of their legal requirement to ensure all NAIT animals are tagged and registered before they come on the truck.”
Last month MPI reminded farmers that transport companies are checking that all cattle and deer are tagged and registered under the NAIT scheme.
Under the NAIT scheme all cattle or deer must be fitted with a NAIT tag and registered in the NAIT system by the time the animal is 180 days old, or before the animal is moved off farm.
Harrison says transporting an untagged animal is an offence and transporters could be liable unless the truck driver has a declaration from the supplier stating the animals are tagged and registered.
“Under recently changed rules, livestock transporters can request a declaration as an alternative to physically checking for tags.
“This recognises that checking individual cattle for NAIT tags early in the morning when it is dark, ahead of a busy schedule of other stops, is easier said than done.”
Transporting New Zealand, which represents about 1,200 road transport companies that operate about 14,000 heavy trucks, is putting its support behind MPI to ensure NAIT compliance.
“We’ve encouraged all livestock transport operators to ensure they carry, or have access to, a completed NAIT Declaration to Livestock Transporter form when transporting cattle or deer in New Zealand,” says Transporting New Zealand general manager industry Dom Kalasih.
Harrison is reminding farmers that the NAIT scheme is a critical part of New Zealand’s ability to respond quickly to biosecurity threats.
“We take non-compliance seriously because of the potentially devastating effect these threats can have on industry and communities if we were unable to track and trace animals.”
Penalties in the NAIT Act recently increased tenfold to $100,000 for an individual, and up to $200,000 for a body corporate.
Harrison says while incurring one of these penalties could hurt the bottom line for individuals, the inability to trace animals can have far reaching and serious consequences for everyone.
“The NAIT tag and registration system is only as effective as the information entered in. If you are unsure about what you need to do, reach out. There is plenty of support available,” says Harrison.
NAIT Obligations During Calving
During calving season, you must:
Fit all calves with a NAIT tag before they reach 180 days old (the tag should be in the central or inner part of the right ear, between the 2 veins)
Register any fitted NAIT tags within 7 days of tagging
Tag and register all calves before their first movement. So if you are sending them off your location, make sure you meet your NAIT obligations.
If you’re buying calves
If you’re buying calves, confirm with the seller:
That they have completed an Animal Status Declaration (ASD) form
That the calves are tagged and registered in NAIT
What the calves’ TB status is
The NAIT number of the calves
Remember to record receipt of animals in NAIT within 48 hours.
If you're selling calves
Before you send your calves off-farm, make sure they’re tagged correctly and registered in NAIT. Using NAIT tags in numerical order will make them easier to enter into the system. Using secondary identification, such as birth tags, may also be helpful.
It’s an offence not to tag and register your calves, unless they are exempt from tagging.
For example, bobby calves (under 30 days old) going directly to slaughter from the property they were born on are exempt. If they move to another property before slaughter, you must tag and register them.
