Breeders told 'embrace' Nait

Robert Bulle has a simple message for New Zealand farmers concerned about the National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme - "embrace it".

Mr Bulle, from Ardrossan Angus in Holbrook, southern New South Wales, was in New Zealand this month to judge at the Beef and Lamb New Zealand beef expo in Feilding.

While there, he was questioned by farmers about the scheme which will provide lifetime animal traceability.

Last week, it was announced that mandatory implementation of the Nait scheme had been deferred to next year.

The National Livestock Identification System was introduced as a mandatory national animal tracing system in Australia in 2005.

"I would say to everybody, don't hold back. Embrace the system," Mr Bulle said during a visit to North Otago, where he was staying with his sister and brother-in-law, Rose and Neil Sanderson, at their Fossil Creek Angus stud.

Describing it as a "one of the best things" that has ever happened on his extensive beef and sheep operation, Mr Bulle said the use of computerised technology in the cattle yards probably saved him two labour units "plus a lot of headaches".

There were tag readers in all his cattle yards and no need for pad and paper, eliminating mistakes. Farmers did not need to be a technocrat to use the system and it proved to be very efficient. He was able to weigh and record 11 cattle a minute.

Traceability was also needed in the industry and the system provided that, he said.

Mr Bulle has a registered stud herd of 500 Angus cows and a commercial herd of 1500, along with a contract recipient herd of 2000 cows which are implanted with embryos.

He is also involved with the Angus Sire Benchmarking Programme - the largest single breed progeny test programme ever in Australia - a three-year-project during which 6000 cows will be artificially inseminated.

Mr Bulle enjoyed judging at the beef expo, saying it was good to see the various breeds united. He was impressed with the various initiatives including Steak of Origin, the Future Beef New Zealand hoof and hook competition and the Queen of Hearts heifer sale.

While bull evaluation units were a good concept, it was very hard to select the best bulls at eight or nine months old, knowing how they were going to look as 2-year-olds, he said.

The Charolais bull, owned by Noel and Liz Gwillim, of Feilding, which was awarded champion of champions, was a "very, very good bull", Mr Bulle said.

It was very sound and very muscular and what he described as medium maturity - not too extreme. Mr and Mrs Gwillim dispersed their Charolais stud that week and it was "almost a fairytale" to win the title.

In New Zealand, Mr Bulle believed slightly earlier maturing, smaller-framed cattle were needed because of the ruggedness of the hill country. Structure was very important, as it was in Australia.

There was more of a focus on carcass traits and eating quality in Australia, which did not seem evident here yet. Breeders needed to remember they were producing food, and it needed to be quality food. In Australia, there had been record high prices in the beef industry which was just settling down in the past few weeks.