Give feedback on NAIT proposals by December
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) wants to hear from people with an interest in how the NAIT (National Animal Identification and Tracing) scheme can be improved.
Public consultation opened this week for people to give feedback on proposed changes to the NAIT Act and regulations.
MPI’s Acting Director of Biosecurity and Animal Welfare Policy, Dr Andrew Bell, says it is critical New Zealanders have confidence in the effectiveness of the NAIT scheme.
“Mycoplasma bovis has shown how significant and widespread the impact an outbreak of an animal disease can have on the farming sector and our rural communities,” he says.
“We have also seen how important it is to have an effective system for tracing the movements of livestock, particularly during a biosecurity response.
“We need to ensure NAIT works properly and continues to do so well into the future.”
Earlier this year OSPRI, the organisation that oversees the NAIT scheme, released a review which included a range of recommendations for improving NAIT.
On the back of the review and with learnings from the Mycoplasma bovis response, MPI has proposed changes to the laws that govern NAIT.
“We want to hear what farmers, the industry, and the wider rural community think about these proposed regulatory changes, and other suggestions people may have for improving NAIT,” Dr Bell says.
OSPRI is also making operational improvements to how the NAIT scheme operates.
“MPI has been working with OSPRI to strengthen the education, compliance and enforcement of the NAIT scheme.”
Federated Farmers is applauding the move.
“The new round of consultation on improvements to the National Animal Identification and Tracing Scheme is a vital step in streamlining and futureproofing this tool,” Feds President Katie Milne says.
“Now we have another chance to further hone the scheme into the effective farming, traceability and biosecurity tool we need it to be. Farmers — the people who use NAIT every day — have a huge stake in this and will no doubt have ideas on how to make NAIT more fit for purpose.
“The M. bovis outbreak has underscored for us why we need to get this right and Federated Farmers will certainly seize this chance for input,” Katie says.
Included in the consultation are questions that go further than the NAIT Review, including the role of animal transporters, issues around stock agents and potentially bringing other species under the scheme.
Public consultation on the proposals begins today and will end on 19 December.
■ Further information, including the consultation document and submission form, is available on the MPI website: www.mpi.govt.nz/NAITconsultation