Carter David: National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Carter David: National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 14 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:377. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (Minister for Primary Industries) 
: 
 I move  
That the National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill be now read a third time 
. Agriculture is a key industry driving our economy. We must maintain our reputation as world leaders in the production of top quality animal products. The Crown and industry have started to work together since 2004 to ensure that we have the quality information we need about livestock. In that regard I would like to acknowledge and pay tribute to the earlier work of Ian Corney who chaired the initial working-group. His absolute commitment is one of the reasons that this legislation is before the House tonight.  
The National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme will support the electronic recording of locations the people in charge of animals and the movement of animals between properties along with other attributes. With NAIT we can give assurances to domestic consumers and our trade partners that the product is healthy and disease-free. We can manage a disease more effectively and rapidly reopen markets if they are closed. Furthermore the NAIT scheme allows for other information to be held in conjunction with mandatory data and can further support improved productivity and on-farm management.  
The National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill sets out the legal framework for the collection of information on livestock and their location and movement history throughout their lifetime. It also outlines the governance arrangements and powers for the NAIT organisation that will manage the NAIT scheme. NAIT needs to be mandatory to be effective. The bill will support the introduction of the NAIT scheme scheduled for July 2012 for cattle and March 2013 for deer.  
It was agreed early on in the NAIT scheme’s development that the Government and the industry would share its costs as well as its benefits. The Government funded the building of the database and is to fund a continuing contribution of 35 percent of the system’s operational costs. The livestock industry groups have provided financial support during the scheme’s development and will do so once the bill has passed.  
During the bill’s passage through the House I have spoken about the history of the project and how we got to this point. Initially there was a substantial battle with Federated Farmers which were difficult and that led to unnecessary scepticism amongst many farmers. Thankfully with the new leadership of Federated Farmers realism now prevails. With the establishment of NAIT farmers now have the ability to manage stock at the level of an individual animal rather than as a herd. Farmers are able to invest in automated systems to weigh and draft animals according to the criteria that farmers themselves set rather than having to assess an animal’s condition by eye. Modern farming systems are able to provide labour savings and more accurate responses to market demand. I also expect the NAIT organisation to respond to the demands from its levy-paying farmers. Once the NAIT scheme is well settled and functioning the NAIT organisation and the Animal Health Board will begin to consolidate their governance and functions. I look forward to the efficiencies and cost savings that will result at the level of both individual levy-paying farmers and the livestock industries themselves.  
I am pleased that most of the parties represented in this House have recognised the importance of this bill and of the NAIT scheme. I tonight acknowledge the work of the previous Labour Government in developing the NAIT scheme and Labour’s ongoing support for the NAIT legislation. I also acknowledge the long-term commitment and dedication to a successful NAIT scheme by all the industry parties that have been involved in NAIT Ltd itself which is now in charge of delivering the scheme. I commend the National Animal Identification and Tracing Bill to the House.