Earlier this week I was talking to a beef producer from the New England region about our markets. With current prices it seems everyone wants to discuss the value and opportunities of beef production! And lets face it, its exciting to see the demand and value flowing through for cattle. One of the things we talked about was the point that domestically, Australia can only consume so much red meat in any one year. The simple reality, which we both reckoned, is that sometimes, its easy to forget just how dependant we are on our overseas exports!
The Australian beef industry sends about 70% of all beef produced overseas, to over 100 countries. For other red meat producers, such as shipmate its around 97% while lamb producers have about 54% exported. For goat producers that figure is an extraordinary 95%! So maintaining the confidence of those overseas consumers and purchasers of red meat is essential for all of us!
A key component in maintaining this confidence starts wit a vendor declaration. The National Vendor Declaration (NVD) is the opportunity for you as a producer to stay some facts around your animals, and the way in which you have produced them. It also covers the important things like veterinary treatments. feeds that may have been offered and if there are any issues associated with chemical residues.
The NVD is also required for any movements of stock between properties that have different Property Identification Codes (PIC) or through saleyards or to processors.
NVDs help provide a clearer understanding of livestock and support the traceability of animals.
Completing NVDs isn't really a new concept for most producers. National Vendor Declarations have been around for a number of years. The have been updated and revised as markets and consumer expectations change.
What is changing is a requirement for all producers to now ensure that they are using the current version of the LPA NVD. All older versions of the LPA NVD are being phased out over the next two months.
And from the 16th of November 2015 all older versions will no longer be accepted by the industry. Which means no processors, feedlot, saleyards or other producers will accept them! Which is going to make marketing or moving cattle, sheep or goats pretty difficult for you if you don't get organised now!
So how can you tell if you have a current LPA NVD?
If your LPA NVD has the number 0413, it is the current version and you will be fine to continue to use the form when moving or marketing livestock. In the picture above, you will notice a C, which stands for Cattle. The Sheep & Lamb NVD has an S before the 0413 code.
So what do you do if you don't have the current LPA NVD? Well I reckon the first thing you need to do is check that you don't have it! If you are definitely using older NVD forms, then you need to get in touch with Meat & Livestock Australia and order the current forms.
If you want hard copies, which are the books you will fill out (they come in triplicate) you can order them online. They cost $40. The other option is to use an E-declaration (an electronic form). Known as E-Decs, they can be a more cost effective way of ordering forms, particularly if you prefer doing work on line.
Which ever way you choose to go is up to you. I reckon its a matter personal preference on this one. However, I also reckon you don't have time to do nothing. If you are planning on selling or moving stock after the 16th of November you need to have the LPA NVD up to date. So don't leave it until the last minute before you sort yourself out!
According to industry figures, around 70% of producers already using the current LPA NVD forms. This is largely helped by processors such as JB Swift and Teys Australia only accepting current forms. But it still leaves 30% or 3 in 10 producers who haven't updated. And that might be due to marketing only once a year or not moving stock between PICs and you haven't had to update until now.
If that is the case, or you're a small producer or hobby farmer, and you haven't worried until now, you need to make a coupe of calls and decide if hard copies or E-Decs work best for you. As soon as you decide that, get onto MLA and order the current LPA NVD.
I reckon the sooner you can do that, the less stress you'll have and most importantly you are doing your part to protect the confidence consumers have in your product.
Don't forget, if you have any questions or you's like to discuss your options to get in touch with me!