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Do or die for NLIS scheme
22 Sep 2003
Friday September 19 was the day of reckoning for the National Livestock Identification Scheme, when stock agents voted on whether to withdraw their support for the scheme.
SSAA board member Brian Rodwell said he would be lobbying for continued support for NLIS, as the scheme is mandatory in Victoria. While the State Government is unlikely to change this if agents withdraw their support, it would be a blow if one of the key players in the industry effectively lodged a no-confidence vote in the scheme.
Gunnedah-based (NSW) agent Dick Cameron wants NSW to defer the implementation of NLIS, so it can learn from Victoria's roll-out. A meeting of Inverell producers and agents in August voted unanimously to seek a 12-month deferral of the scheme. But some people in the industry want a complete withdrawal rather than a postponement. A deferral would also give Queensland an extra year to make NLIS compulsory.
On September 22 a draft Code of Practice for the implementation of NLIS in Victoria will be released.
Stock & Land, 18/9/03.
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