FAQs for farmers
- What will farmers need to do when NAIT becomes mandatory?
- When will NAIT be mandatory?
- When NAIT is mandatory, will there still be a requirement for ASD forms?
- Will farmers have any additional costs?
- What should farmers do now to prepare for NAIT compliance?
- Can I read an animals RFID tag from across the paddock or yards?
- Can I use NAIT ear tags now?
- Will I continue to use my AHB number or MINDA participant code when ordering NAIT ear tags?
- My animals go direct-to-slaughter. What ear tags do I need to use?
- What happens if an animal loses its NAIT RFID ear tag?
- The numbers on the NAIT tag are small and hard to read in the paddock or yard. How am I going to manage my animals when NAIT becomes mandatory?
- What do I do with existing or old stocks of ear tags (i.e. other than NAIT-approved RFID ear tags)?
- What are the on-farm benefits of RFID technology?
- If I send cattle to an A & P show, rodeo or pet day, will they need a NAIT ear tag?
- Do I need to purchase an RFID reader or scanner to comply with NAIT?
- What happens to the RFID ear tag when an animal dies or is slaughtered?
- Do I need to NAIT-tag bobby calves?
- Can I have a male panel in lieu of a button?
- When will the tagging of deer with NAIT-approved RFID tags be mandatory?
- When NAIT is mandatory will there still be a requirement for secondary ear tags?
- Where do I place the NAIT tags?
- Which ear does the NAIT ear tag go in?
- Where can I buy NAIT-approved ear tags?
- Will the NAIT ear tag identify each individual animal separately?
- Are all animals part of the NAIT scheme?
- How will I provide information to NAIT?
- How are privacy concerns being addressed by NAIT?
- Can the RFID tag store any of the animals life data in it?
- What will farmers need to do when NAIT becomes mandatory?
Farmers will need to:
- tag all cattle with a NAIT-approved RFID tag within 180 days of birth or before the animal moves off-farm, whichever comes first
- register themselves and their NAIT locations at which they (or their nominated representative) is in charge of the animals
- register all NAIT-tagged cattle
- report off-farm movements of cattle
- When will NAIT be mandatory?
NAIT will be mandatory when both the legislation is in place and the NAIT system is operating effectively.
NAIT will be mandatory for cattle on 1 July 2012, and for deer from March 2013, pending the passing of legislation.
- When NAIT is mandatory, will there still be a requirement for ASD forms?
Yes. Animal Status Declaration (ASD) forms will continue to be required as per current Animal Health Board (AHB) requirements.
- Will farmers have any additional costs?
In addition to NAIT levies, farmers will need to meet the cost of purchasing NAIT-approved RFID ear tags. These tags will cost approximately $2 per animal, over farmers’ current tagging costs.
- What should farmers do now to prepare for NAIT compliance?
NAIT Ltd encourages farmers to tag calves born now with a NAIT-approved RFID ear tag (except bobby calves going direct to slaughter). It is much easier to tag cattle when they are young and doing so will mean avoiding to retag older animals. Tagging now will save time and effort in the future.
- Can I read an animals RFID tag from across the paddock or yards?
No, the RFID tags have a relatively short read range to enable them to be used for individual recording in a yarded environment.
- Can I use NAIT ear tags now?
Yes, calves born after 1 March 2011 can be tagged using a NAIT-approved RFID ear tag as the primary tag and an AHB-approved secondary tag for off-farm movements, other than to slaughter. A NAIT-approved RFID tag may be used as the secondary tag for cattle born before 1 March 2011.
- Will I continue to use my AHB number or MINDA participant code when ordering NAIT ear tags?
Yes. When ordering your NAIT-approved RFID ear tags, continue using your AHB number or MINDA participant code.
- My animals go direct-to-slaughter. What ear tags do I need to use?
Prior to 1 November 2011, continue to use a yellow bar-coded primary or bar-coded direct-to-slaughter ear tag. From 1 November 2011 to 1 July 2012 you have a choice of using either a yellow bar-coded primary or bar-coded direct-to-slaughter ear tag or using a NAIT-approved RFID ear tag.
Once NAIT becomes mandatory, all animals going directly to slaughter will require a NAIT-approved RFID primary ear tag only.
- What happens if an animal loses its NAIT RFID ear tag?
If an animal loses its NAIT-approved RFID ear tag and the animal:
- can be identified by its secondary tag, a duplicate NAIT-approved RFID birth ID tag can be ordered to replace the lost tag.
- has no other tags to identify it, an RFID traka tag can be applied to the animal to be NAIT compliant. Lifetime traceability, however, will be lost.
- The numbers on the NAIT tag are small and hard to read in the paddock or yard. How am I going to manage my animals when NAIT becomes mandatory?
To assist with the on-farm management of livestock, you can choose a large panel secondary tag that has a visibly readable number that will be linked to the NAIT-approved RFID primary ear tag. Alternatively, the RFID tags can be read using an RFID reader or scanner should you choose to purchase one.
- What do I do with existing or old stocks of ear tags (i.e. other than NAIT-approved RFID ear tags)?
Existing tag stock, other than direct-to-slaughter ear tags, can be used up as secondary tags once NAIT-approved RFID tags become mandatory. In fact, farmers can already start doing this for calves born after 1 March.
- What are the on-farm benefits of RFID technology?
The on-farm benefits of using RFID technology include accurate recording of production details about individual animals, such as using this data to support management decisions, including:
- regularly weighing animals to sell at optimum individual weight
- tracking treatments
- recording breeding information
- measuring milk production
- automated drafting of animals that meet pre-defined conditions.
Under NAIT, the only mandatory farmer requirement is to use NAIT-approved RFID ear tags. To get the benefits, farmers will need to invest in the RFID technology, but it's not mandatory.
- If I send cattle to an A & P show, rodeo or pet day, will they need a NAIT ear tag?
Yes. Cattle going to events such as A & P shows, rodeos, or pet days, will require NAIT-approved RFID ear tags.
- Do I need to purchase an RFID reader or scanner to comply with NAIT?
No. You do not need to purchase an RFID reader or scanner to be NAIT compliant. However, you may choose to purchase one for additional on-farm benefits.
- What happens to the RFID ear tag when an animal dies or is slaughtered?
When the animal dies or is slaughtered, its NAIT-approved RFID ear tag is destroyed. This is in keeping with overseas protocols, where animal identification systems use the unique identifiers only once to maintain the integrity of the system.
- Do I need to NAIT-tag bobby calves?
No. Bobby calves (animals less than 30-days-old going directly to slaughter) are not part of the NAIT scheme and will not require NAIT-approved RFID ear tags. Continue using a direct-to-slaughter tag issued by meat processing companies.
- Can I have a male panel in lieu of a button?
No. The double button is the only combination available because of its excellent retention.
- When will the tagging of deer with NAIT-approved RFID tags be mandatory?
Deer will be introduced following the introduction of cattle into the NAIT scheme. This is currently 1 March 2013.
- When NAIT is mandatory will there still be a requirement for secondary ear tags?
No. When NAIT is mandatory, an official secondary tag (of a type currently approved under the Animal Health Board scheme) will no longer be required, but should not be removed from existing stock.
- Where do I place the NAIT tags?
To ensure high retention of the NAIT-approved RFID ear tag, it should be applied:
- to the inner part of the ear, preferably the right, between the two veins
- close to the head
- with the white ‘female’ tag facing forward.
- Which ear does the NAIT ear tag go in?
NAIT recommends the right ear, as this will assist meat processors, sale yards and farmers who have fixed panel readers, set up to read on the right. However, the left ear can be used if it better suits your on-farm management purposes.
- Where can I buy NAIT-approved ear tags?
NAIT-approved RFID ear tags are supplied by three NAIT-accredited manufacturers: Allflex, Zeetags and Leader Products, and are available from your local rural services supplier.
- Will the NAIT ear tag identify each individual animal separately?
Yes. Each NAIT-approved RFID ear tag has a unique 16 digit RFID number, which enables each animal to be identified individually.
- Are all animals part of the NAIT scheme?
No. The focus of the NAIT scheme is on cattle and deer, because they are already included in mandatory animal identification schemes under the National Bovine Tuberculosis (Tb) Pest Management Strategy.
- How will I provide information to NAIT?
When NAIT is operational, you will be able to provide information to NAIT using a number of options:
- directly online via the internet
- through the PICA (person in charge of animals) delegates who can meet obligations on your behalf
- by use of a phone service
- via a NAIT-approved information provider, of your choice.
- How are privacy concerns being addressed by NAIT?
Your NAIT data will be kept private, as required by the Privacy Act. NAIT Ltd will limit access to, and use or disclosure of, your NAIT data to the purposes stated in the NAIT legislation.
- Can the RFID tag store any of the animals life data in it?
No, the only information stored in the tag is its unique 16 digit number. This can not be overwritten.
