Ospri brings Bovine TB testing in-house
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
The workshops will suit beef, deer and lifestyle farmers, giving two hours of hands-on, interactive tuition using NAIT’s online system.
OSPRI acting chief executive Stu Hutchings says the workshops aim to help new users of the NAIT system and those needing a refresher. Feedback from farmers on the workshops is good, he says.
“The NAIT programme is critical to biosecurity and market access. To be effective, we need all cattle and deer tagged and registered with NAIT, [and current] data on their location and movements,” says Hutchings.
Farmers need only a computer and internet access to complete all NAIT actions. The workshops show how to register animals, record the sending and receiving of stock, and update animal details in NAIT’s online system.
“Accurate NAIT data can be used to contain animal diseases, provide food safety assurance to international and domestic markets and add value to farming businesses,” Hutchings says.
“Being able to trace animal movements on and off farm is… containing bovine tuberculosis herd infections and identifying the source of the disease.”
The workshops offer farmers a forum for asking questions before July 1, 2015, when all cattle must be tagged and registered in the NAIT database, including animals born before NAIT became mandatory in 2012.
Workshop attendees will get instructions to keep at home, so they can continue to meet their NAIT requirements.
“As long as their NAIT information is up to date, farmers can use the system to keep track of stock they’ve received or sent away. For example, an increasing number of absentee owners are using NAIT to remotely monitor stock going onto their farm,” Hutchings says.
Forty-two workshops will run nationwide. Each is limited to 20 people.
Tel 0800 624 843
