Ospri Urges Farmers To Prepare NAIT Records Before Moving Day
Moving Day (June 1) is just around the corner and farmers who are moving farms with the herd are being urged by Ospri to start preparations now.
William McCook has been appointed chief executive of the organisation soon to be formed from the merger of the Animal Health Board and NAIT (National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme).
McCook is currently chief executive of the Animal Health Board. The new role was advertised and his appointment followed a highly competitive selection process.
Jeff Grant, chairman of the new organisation's board, says while the immediate focus will be sustaining the success of the bovine TB strategy and completing implementation of the NAIT scheme, the new merged entity will be looking to a broader future.
"We recognise the opportunity to apply and extend the abilities of the two existing organisations to other programmes which will benefit and sustain New Zealand's primary industries," he says.
"William brings a proven track record of considerable success in leading the implementation of the TB strategy, together with experience in commercial and export industries. This will allow us to develop an organisation which best meets the needs of our industry stakeholders and local government, while working closely with the Ministry for Primary Industries."
The first tasks for the board and chief executive will be to plan and implement the merger of the AHB and NAIT. This is expected to be completed by July 2013.
Russell Burnard will continue in his current role as the chief executive of NAIT.
Forestry Minister Todd McClay has today congratulated the winners of the 2026 Growing Native Forests Champions Awards at Fieldays.
The Government has announced $60,000 to provide one-off grants of $1,000 to each of the 60 New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) clubs across the country.
New Zealand’s rural sector has once again demonstrated its generosity, with the second Rural Industry Leaders Dinner, Debate and Auction raising an impressive $400,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
There has been another twist to the Federated Farmers annual election fiasco.
Analysis of decades of research has revealed the implementation of good farming practices plays a critical role in reducing nutrient losses to improve freshwater outcomes.
Yesterday the Government used the opening of Fieldays to announce a major investment, as part of its Land Use Flexibility package, to support a more productive and sustainable future across six sectors including dairy.

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