Deer farmers told ID system needed
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But Federated Farmers chief has his doubts about the idea, writes JILL GALLOWAY.
Deer farmers at their national conference heard speakers call for an individual animal identification system, saying if the farming industry doesn't get on with it, it could lose overseas markets.
They said it should not be put in the "too hard basket", as there is technology already available that could be used for sheep, deer and cattle.
Landcorp chief executive Chris Kelly said he is a solid supporter of a NAIT, which stands for National Animal Identification and Tracing. It is all about an animal identification system that links people, property and animals. NAIT will keep track of where farmed animals are and where they have been.
But some farmers and Federated Farmers, after first supporting NAIT, are saying such a traceability system is not required for overseas markets and are questioning whether the benefits of the scheme outweigh the costs of implementing it.
Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson said: "It's not clear that having a new Wellington bureaucracy forcing farmers to have a number plate on every sheep, cow, or deer, is going to be worth it.
"If farmers think individually identifying animals is a profitable idea, then they will do that anyway."
But Mr Kelly said he supports an identification and traceability system.
Landcorp is New Zealand's largest farmer, and is owned by the Government.
NAIT is under development.
The system is planned to be fully operational in 2010 and, from mid-2011, it is expected to be mandatory for cattle and deer, with other species to follow if required.
"We need to instigate it across all our main species, sheep, cattle, and deer.
"It needs to be sooner, rather than later. I know NAIT has talked about excluding sheep in the meantime because of the costs. I am not sure we can afford the luxury of that time."
Mr Kelly said there is a problem over who should manage the single data base required for a NAIT system.
"It should be independent, able to be verified in a regulatory sense, so that suggests something like MAF or some quasi-government linkage."
It should not be with a commercial organisation, because then there'll be real, or perceived, questions on use of the information for commercial gain, he said.
"We've just seen the United States introduce export subsidies overnight. It caught us by surprise. The same thing could happen with a traceability system."
Australian John Finlayson, from Aleis, which produces reading equipment for cattle, deer and sheep identification systems, spoke at the conference.
He said such equipment is produced in Australia, is 100 per cent effective, and is used around the world.
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