Taranaki farmer fined $15,000 for illegal NAIT tag swapping
A Taranaki farmer and livestock agent who illegally swapped NAIT tags from cows infected with a bovine disease in an attempt to sell the cows has been fined $15,000.
“After securing the release of the year-late report on the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) system last month, officials have worked through the 38 recommendations and advised 23 can be implemented promptly by the management agency OSPRI,” says O’Connor.
“NAIT has let us down in a time of great need as we manage the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak.
“The hunting down of Mycoplasma bovis has been slowed by the poor uptake of NAIT. For the minority of farmers who fully complied with NAIT, the tracing of animals for Mycoplasma bovis has been smooth.
“This is why it’s crucial we fix the system. NAIT is hard to use and farmers have not been told of the benefits of compliance.’’
The 23 changes include:
·The NAIT number will be assigned to a particular location – not a person
·The NAIT interface will be improved to make it easier to enter information and a mobile app will be developed for use in the field
·The performance of accredited agencies will be better managed, particularly those providing information to NAIT on behalf of farmers.
