A Rangiriri beef farmer and livestock trader has been fined NZD 22,000 for a range of failures under the National Animal Identification and Tracing Act (NAIT), involving more than 600 animals.
Under the NAIT Act 2012, locations that have cattle and/or deer must be registered with the NAIT organisation OSPRI, and all movements must be declared within 48 hours.
Additionally, all animals must be fitted with a NAIT tag and registered in the NAIT system by the time they are 180 days old, or before they are moved off the farm.
Liam McBride was sentenced in the Huntly District Court on five representative charges under the NAIT Act, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
MPI Animal Welfare and NAIT compliance district manager, Bianca Upton, said that McBride was running ‘a high biosecurity risk operation’ because he was buying cattle from various locations to graze on his land before selling them.
The investigation of McBride’s records showed serious failure of his obligations, including failing to register as the person in charge of animals at two separate blocks of land, failing to register animals on his land, failing to declare receiving movements of animals onto his land and failing to declare sending animals off his land to other locations.
“It only takes one animal to potentially cause a biosecurity problem, as the farming sector learned through the Mycoplasma bovis experience,” said Upton.
“This case involved a lot of cattle, 131 animals unregistered on his blocks of land. He failed to declare receiving a total of 397 animals that were moved onto his land during 38 separate occasions. He also failed to declare sending off farm 136 cattle through 12 movements.”
The NAIT tag and registration system is only as effective as the information that’s entered. If you are unsure what to do, reach out to our partners at OSPRI. There is plenty of information, advice, and support available.
“MPI takes non-compliance with NAIT seriously. The scheme provides a critical tool in the fight against biosecurity incursions. Put simply, when people in charge of animals disregard their NAIT obligations, they put the whole agricultural sector at risk.”
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