NSW Farmers members have reiterated their support for nationally consistent livestock identification for sheep and goats at the Association’s 2017 conference.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Conference delegates recognised the strength of the mob-based traceability system for sheep and goats in NSW and the importance of maintaining access to important export markets.
“NSW is leading by example on traceability, demonstrating over 99 per cent compliance with tagging requirements,” NSW Farmers’ Sheepmeat Committee chair, Ian Cargill said.
“Our industry is also continually working to improve National Vendor Declaration (NVD) compliance, as good traceability relies on the accuracy of this document.”
Katie Davies, Goat Industry Committee chair, said that NSW Farmers has retained an agreement with the NSW Government to maintain the mob-based system for sheep and goats, ensuring that members can make farm management decisions that make sense for their business.
“It’s important that any decisions on traceability are made in the interest of improving our current system and protecting our market access,” Ms Davies said.
“Sheep and goats are constantly moving across borders and we need a national approach to tagging and movement requirements.”
“Our system needs to be flexible to market requirements and cost-effective for producers to implement, otherwise it won’t be workable.”
Wool Committee Chair Andrew Wood said that NSW Farmers was looking to ensure ongoing education for producers in NVD compliance, particularly for non-vendor bred animals.
“Producers are integral to the traceability system. As a result it is essential that industry invests in education and communication to ensure they understand their requirements”.