Mid North dry stock farmer Roger Ludbrook has some simple advice for anyone who buys bulls privately — ensure they are registered in NAIT (National Animal Identification and Tracing) and that the vendor has recorded a sending movement before buying them.
"Don't take their word for it. If they can't provide a NAIT number or evidence that the service bull is registered, walk away, don't risk your livelihood, support disease management and traceability," he said.
Mr Ludbrook, a sixth generation farmer at Ohaeawai, said he had first-hand experience of the change in attitudes towards NAIT, thanks to a stock agent who told him that a farmer was not going to pay for the bulls he sold him, until he recorded the movement.
"It was certainly a spur for me," he said.
"I had never encountered that before, in terms of someone wanting the animal movement confirmed in NAIT within 48 hours."