Costs

The NAIT scheme is operated by NAIT Ltd, a not-for-profit company owned by the industry bodies Dairy NZ, Beef + Lamb NZ, and Deer Industry New Zealand and registered with the Charities Commission. NAIT Ltd’s operating costs are funded by a combination of Crown (35 percent) and Industry (65 percent) funding.

Levies for cattle

From 8 March 2013 tag and slaughter levies for cattle are:

  • The cattle tag levy is $0.90 excluding GST per tag. The tag levy is paid at point of purchase as part of the tag cost
  • The slaughter levy is $1.00 per head excluding GST, and is administered by meat processors

NAIT has also established a transitional process allowing animals that are impractical to tag to be sent to meat processors without NAIT tags, subject to payment of an impractical to tag levy and meeting the following criteria:

  • The animal must be tagged with an official Animal Health Board bar-coded tag
  • The animal is going direct to a meat processor.

A levy of $13 per head excluding GST will apply to these animals. If you are using this exemption you will not have to pay the cost of a NAIT tag for each animal or the NAIT tag and slaughter levies.

If you cannot tag an animal safely, the impractical to tag exemption is the right option.

Deer industry contributions

Deer join the NAIT scheme on 1 March 2013. NAIT will recover two percent of its operating costs from Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), which will in turn recover this cost from its members.

RFID ear tag applicators

You will need to have an RFID ear tag applicator to correctly apply NAIT-approved RFID tags. Older models of applicators are not designed for RFID tags and could damage the tag when the tag is being applied.

To ensure the applicator you currently use on-farm is suitable for NAIT-approved RFID ear tags, contact you usual rural services provider.

RFID ear tag readers

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.

Costs will vary depending on the size and type of reader needed for your on-farm management purposes.

For exact RFID reader costs, contact your usual rural services provider.

Click here to read more about on-farm benefits of RFID technology.