Animal ID and Traceability

7/29/2005

A consultation report on New Zealand’s Animal Identification and Traceability systems has been released by the pan-industry group responsible for reviewing them.

Animal ID and Traceability Working Group chairman Jeff Grant says the Group is ready to consult with farmers to get feedback on the report, before moving to the next stage.

 “The report focussed on the need for enhancing our existing systems and puts forward several ways this can be achieved within a set of developed principles.”

“We’re seeking industry views on the validity of what we have proposed before we can focus on the nuts and bolts of how we could achieve this, he said.

Mr Grant says the Working Group sees the report as New Zealand’s window of opportunity for moving forward on animal identification and traceability and will put New Zealand in a good position for the future.

“We need to re-assess our current animal identification and traceability systems, and look at the systems and programmes we have in place to ensure they meet our domestic needs for food safety and bio-security, and help to maintain our international trade access.

“Changes in technology and the growing trend for adoption of voluntary and mandatory animal identification in other countries mean traceability is increasingly important,” he says.

“One of the proposals we’ve put forward in the report is to see the current system for cattle and deer be enhanced through a centralised registry of core data which approved users can access.  The central database would contain information such as property location number, livestock details and a record of all animal movements.”

“We’re also recommending that the Animal ID and traceability programme for cattle and deer start as a voluntary system from October 1st 2007 and move to a mandatory system on October 1st of the following year” he said.

Copies of the report and a submission form are available electronically on the following websites or by phoning Meat & Wool New Zealand, 0800 647 000. Submissions close 5 pm, Friday 30 September 2005.

www.dairyinsight.co.nz               www.deernz.org

www.fedfarm.org.nz                    www.fencepost.com

www.meatandwoolnz.com           www.mia.co.nz

www.maf.govt.nz                         www.nzfsa.govt.nz

Note for Editors: The Animal Identification and Traceability  Working Group, established in August 2004, brings together a group of industry and government representatives from Meat & Wool New Zealand, the Meat Industry Association (MIA), Fonterra, Federated Farmers, Dairy InSight, Deer Industry New Zealand, New Zealand Food Safety Authority, MAF Policy and Biosecurity New Zealand. The initial focus has been on the cattle and deer sectors, however, the Working Group has kept in mind the wider needs of the livestock sector as a whole.

For more information contact: Rebecca Barclay, Communications Project Officer, 04 474 0697/027 271 7593