A bill to deliver electronic national identification and tracing of livestock has passed its third and final reading in Parliament.

Primary Industries Minister David Carter says the National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill is a significant step in protecting farmers in the international marketplace and strengthening New Zealand's biosecurity system.

'NAIT is a partnership between industry and the Crown which started in 2004 in recognition of the growing need for better animal identification and tracing systems.”

The NAIT Bill sets out the legal framework for the collection of information on livestock, their location and movement history throughout their lifetime. It also outlines the governance arrangement and powers for the NAIT organisation.

'NAIT needs to be mandatory to be effective,” says David.
'It will begin with cattle on July 1 this year and deer by March 1, 2013.

'With most other agricultural-producing nations already having computerised tracing of individual animals, New Zealand simply cannot afford to lag behind.”

David says NAIT is effectively an insurance policy to support New Zealand's high livestock health status and biosecurity infrastructure, but can be used to further improve productivity and on-farm management.

DairyNZ has welcomed the decision to adopt NAIT, saying it is a milestone, bringing animal traceability for the dairy industry to reality.

The NAIT Bill paves the way for the scheme to 'go live” on July 1 this year as planned, with the requirement for all beef and dairy cattle to be tagged before they can be moved or sent to slaughter.

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says the passing of the NAIT legislation is welcomed. At the same time, the industry will be watching carefully to ensure the final scheme works effectively and efficiently and is not overly costly.

'There is no question that as a country and an industry we need NAIT,” says Tim. 'Being able to trace animals is at the heart of providing advanced biosecurity protection for our industry. Having this system in place builds on our reputation as highly credible food producers.”

Farmers have been preparing for the introduction of the scheme. Many in the farming system have already voluntarily tagged their animals for some time, recognising the opportunities that a comprehensive identification and traceability system can deliver in terms of meeting consumer expectations and growing confidence.

Your NAIT obligations will be to:

Tag your cattle and deer with NAIT-approved radio frequency identification device (RFID) ear tags – you can do this now.

Get your NAIT number by registering yourself and your farm or property with NAIT – you can do this now online, by phoning 0800 624 843 or by using a NAIT-accredited information provider (once they are approved). Ask your local livestock company, meat processor or rural services provider if they can help.

Register your cattle and deer with NAIT – you can do this from mid-2012.

Record all movements of cattle or deer, off or onto your farm or property, with NAIT – you can do this from July 2012.

Record all deaths, losses or exports of live cattle or deer with NAIT – you can start doing this from July 2012.

You can already tag your cattle and deer with NAIT-approved RFID ear tags!