New Zealand approves meat tracing project

 

 

The National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) project will be receiving funding from the New Zealand government.

 

After a short voluntary period in October next year, NAIT is expected to become mandatory for beef and to be joined by venison the following year. Sheep meat is expected to be added later.

 

The tracing system, which was in the planning for more than two years, was prompted by overseas food safety concerns after a series of animal disease outbreaks in North America, South America and Europe.

 

NAIT would help maintain New Zealand's reputation of being a producer of safe and disease-free meat products, while boosting the country's ability to prepare and respond to disease outbreaks, said Agriculture Minister David Carter.

 

Under the system, the producers have to tag their cattle with electronic identifiers and record their movement. Meat and dairy industry organisations have given their support to the scheme but the Federated Farmers remained opposed.

 

Federated Farmers spokesman Lachlan McKenzie said the NZ$2-NZ$3 (US$1.4-US$2.1) cost of the required tags omitted the extra cost of the time needed to enter the data, and the extra processor and saleyard fees. There is also the potential additional costs to producers in areas without broadband fibre penetration who would have to spend more to adopt satellite or 3G mobile broadband connection.

 

McKenzie noted that no importing countries are requiring the NAIT system for New Zealand beef, and the system should be voluntary until markets demanded it as a condition of access.

 

Carter said New Zealand's trading partners were increasingly demanding such a system and being mandatory would ensure an effective response to a biosecurity breach.

 

Meat & Wool New Zealand chairman Mike Petersen said most major beef trading nations worldwide already have animal ID systems in place and New Zealand's meat trade might be compromised if the country is unable to keep up with the times.

 

Australia, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina have similar traceability systems and the US and Canada are developing them.