Mandatory livestock tracing one step closer

A Bill to deliver electronic national identification and tracing of livestock passed its third and final reading in Parliament In February.

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

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,” the Minister says. It will begin with cattle on 1 July this year and deer by 1 March 2013.

“With most other agricultural producing nations already having computerised tracing of individual animals, New Zealand simply cannot afford to lag behind,” he said, adding that NAIT is essentially an insurance policy to support New Zealand’s high livestock health status and biosecurity infrastructure, but can also be used to further improve productivity and on-farm management.

The meat industry supports the introduction of NAIT as it will give greater assurance to customers of the wholesomeness of New Zealand meat products.

Great pastoral conditions along with continuing good prices

Photo: Courtesy B+LNZ

Beef + Lamb NZ’s mid-season update for the sheep and beef sector reports that export receipts estimated at $6.6 billion hold at last year’s level. Last year, export receipts for the sector were up 15 percent.

Expectations are for a small lift in export volumes and continued good prices relative to recent years. This will be moderated by the strength of the New Zealand dollar, particularly against the Euro and British pound.

The report contained few surprises for B+LNZ Economic Service director Rob Davison, who says it’s rare for such good pastoral conditions and international prices  to align. Lamb prices are expected to average at $115 a head, slightly down on 2010-2011’s high. Offshore prices are expected to remain at good levels, though the stronger NZ dollar against the pound softens the price received here. The recent strengthening of the NZ dollar against its US counterpart is also a concern, Davison says.

Global mutton supplies remain tight, while beef exports are expected to lift in the 2011-2012 season which ends in June.