Cattle producer ordered to pay $17,300 for NLIS tag breach
Cattle producer Stephen Blair was last week convicted in Albury Local Court for incorrectly tagging cattle at Little Billabong Station near Holbrook in NSW with NLIS tags assigned to his Victorian property.
Mr Blair was fined $1800 under the Stock Diseases Act and ordered to pay court costs of $15,500.
"NLIS regulations stipulate that tags cannot be attached to cattle on a different property to which the tags are assigned," NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said.
"On June 22 2006 the incorrectly tagged cattle were sent for sale to Corryong saleyards in Victoria.
"If an exotic disease outbreak had occurred at that time and tracing of livestock was required, this simple act could have jeopardised Australia’s livestock industries.
"NLIS tagging was introduced so that stock can be quickly traced back to their property of origin, minimising the impact of exotic animal diseases."
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) agricultural compliance manager, Andrew Sanger, said every stock owner has a responsibility to ensure they play their part in maintaining the integrity of Australia’s livestock tracing system.
"To date more than 10 million NLIS devices have been provided for tagging cattle on more than 84,000 NSW properties," Mr Sanger said.
"It is vital that all stock owners tag their cattle correctly and report all property to property movements via the NLIS database.
"Saleyard and abattoir operators must also record cattle movements, ensuring whole of life traceability for each animal if everyone abides by the regulations.
"More than 6 million cattle movements are now being reported per year.
"Being able to quickly trace every one of those movements would be crucial in the event of an exotic disease.
"NLIS regulations have been in place for a number of years now. Lack of awareness will not be accepted by NSW DPI as a reason for not abiding by tagging regulations.
"The severe penalty imposed in Mr Blair’s case shows that the courts also view NLIS as a serious issue."
Media contact: Tom Braz 0428 256 596