Does the Associate Minister support the development of a "centralised database of livestock farms" as supported by Federated Farmers national arable chair David Birkett?

Answer

This Government takes animal disease outbreak readiness extremely seriously. That's why last June we signed a new agreement with key livestock industry groups confirming how we will jointly prepare for and respond to a possible outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. Our available data sources — AgriBase, NAIT, and MPI's own internal systems — when used together, can provide a strong picture of New Zealand's farming sector. AgriBase was a key part of the success of our mycoplasma bovis eradication programme. Strengthening animal traceability remains a priority and upcoming improvements to the NAIT system are a key element of that.