Animal Tracking: NAIT Gets Green Light As Feds Fight Rearguard Action
February 3rd, 2010
Farmer pleas to have the compulsory National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) project scraped have, as expected, fallen on deaf ears with NAIT being given the go ahead. David Carter says the decision is a signal the Govt has “bought in” to NAIT and recognizes the cost of not adopting such a scheme. “There was a case for serious market disadvantage unless we had done this – other countries have already done this.” Track and trace is mandatory in Aust, the UK, Japan, South Korea and the EU. The Govt will meet most of the $15.5m NAIT is estimated to need for development and implementation.
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FedFarmers has opposed NAIT from the start, even while being represented on its governance group. It is concerned the system may result in confidential data on livestock being used by officialdom for other purposes like assessing the cost of animal emissions. The Govt estimates the additional cost of NAIT-compliant ear tags for cattle and deer will be $2-$3 more than for standard tags. Carter is careful to downplay the prospects of adding sheep to the identification schedule, which has already been embraced by the UK, Canada and the EU. “There are no plans for sheep at all.” Carter and the Feds are philosophically at odds on the merits of the new system, which still requires enabling legislation to make it compulsory.
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