Moving Day on the Dairy Farm

M OVING DAY ON THE DAIRY FARM2024

Taking everything with you except disease

The rst day of winter, 1 June, is of cially New Zealand’s annual Moving Day on the Dairy Farm.

On this day – or in the weeks both leading up to and just after this day –dairy farmers around the country move thousands of cows to new pastures either for the purpose of winter grazing or because they are moving to a new sharemilking contract or heading to farm ownership.

For sharemilkers who own the cows but not the land, or own smaller herds but are ready to increase their herd size, Moving Day is all about realising dreams and moving up the ‘farming ladder’.

The uniqueness of our sharemilkers

Sharemilkers generally own the cows and mobile machinery. They have responsibility for the dayto-day management of the farm and receive 50 percent of the milk income.

Order 2011. The 1 June requirement has a lot to do with standardising the dairy season for ease of remuneration.

Big numbers

About 75 percent of all consignments moved 103 km or less, showing the extent of sharemilker connectedness to their district.

management, if it is required.

Biosecurity matters

These 50/50 arrangements are said to be unique to the dairy industry in New Zealand, allowing many young people to earn enough money to go on and buy their own farms. Contracts between farm owners and sharemilkers are required by law to commence on 1 June and end on 31 May the following year (but can be extended annually by mutual agreement). This information can be found in the Sharemilking Agreement Act 1937 and the Sharemilking Agreements

Around 5,000 dairy farm households are said to travel to new farms and jobs every year on Moving Day, shifting their cows, equipment, vehicles, children, and household possessions in order to take the next step in their careers.

Nearly 10 million cattle stock events and just under 500,000 consignments take place in a single year (the most recent publicly available data is from 2020). A signi cant proportion of these movements take place in the weeks around Moving Day.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) de nes a ‘cattle stock event’ as the transportation of a single animal from one NAIT location (the origin) to another (the destination) on a given date. A ‘consignment’ is de ned as all animal movements from one NAIT location to another on a single date. NAIT refers to the government’s National Animal Identi cation and Tracing programme, which aims to provide fast and accurate tracing of animals to support disease

Biosecurity practices matter while animals are being moved to support the eradication of Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis). The disease spreads when infected cattle are introduced into an uninfected herd.

"Good biosecurity practices remain essential to ghting this disease,” MPI says. “If left unchecked, the disease could cost industry an estimated $1.2 billion over the rst 10 years, with ongoing productivity losses across the farming sector and animal welfare concerns."

EARTHWORKS & CARTAGE ROTTEN ROCK

M OVING DAY ON THE DAIRY FARM

Your responsibilities as the person in charge of animals 2024

Moving farms or relocating your herd to a new place comes with important responsibilities as a PICA (Person in Charge of Animals).

DairyNZ, OSPRI and Ministry for Primary Industries all stress that good biosecurity practices, including NAIT compliance, are critical over the Moving Day period.

If NAIT compliance is compromised, the country's traceability system is threatened, with increased risk of having a system that will not perform in the event of another disease outbreak.

OSPRI says that “all cattle

movements between NAIT locations must be recorded in NAIT within 48 hours of them leaving one property and arriving at a new property”.

Farmers are advised that to record a movement, they need their NAIT location number, the NAIT location number of the other property, the date the animals left, or arrived at your property and the individual NAIT RFID or visual tag numbers of the animals that have moved. Farmers are also required to complete an Animal Status Declaration (ASD), although there are exceptions.

Checklist for Moving Animals or Farms

For farmers leaving farms where the herd will stay behind

Before Moving

I have tagged and registered all of the animals on the farm and the NAIT account accurately reflects what is on farm

I have completed, signed and submitted a PICA change form

After Moving

(If I am taking over a new herd)

I have been registered as the PICA for the new NAIT location I’ve given my new NAIT location number(s) to those who complete transactions on my behalf (eg, LIC/CRV or stock agents) and have assigned them access to my NAIT account as information providers

Be a Mate, Update NAIT

Checklist for Moving Animals or Farms

For farmers moving animals to another location (eg, new farm or grazing block)

Before moving

I have tagged and registered all of my animals and my NAIT account accurately reflects what is on farm

I’ve filled out an ASD form

If I have been requested to complete a declaration to livestock transporters (DLT), I have done this

Set up my new NAIT location

Updated my TBfree herd records by contacting the OSPRI Support Centre

Completed pre-movement TB testing if required

Registered any new grazing blocks I’m in charge of

If you need help, contact our Support Centre 0800 482 463 or email info@ospri.co.nz

After moving

I’ve recorded a movement in NAIT for the animals I’ve moved to the new farm (within 48 hours of the movement taking place)

I’ve recorded a movement in NAIT for any animals sold or sent to a grazing farm (within 48 hours of the movement taking place)

I’ve given my new NAIT location number(s) to those who complete transactions on my behalf (eg, LIC/CRV or stock agents) and have assigned them access to my NAIT account as information providers

My contact information has been updated in my NAIT account

My old NAIT location has been deactivated

Be a Mate, Update NAIT

M OVING DAY ON THE DAIRY FARM 2024

All hands, on deck

Moving Day can be a huge transition for some farm contractors, sharemilkers, and their families. It can be amazing, chaotic, exciting, tiring, and stressful – all at once – as cows, machinery, vehicles, household possessions, and children are carted off to greener pastures, a new farm, a new house, and new schools.

Good planning and communication are key to reducing the stress of the move. Most farmers need help from trucking companies and other contractors. Because hundreds of farms and

thousands of cows are on the move, it’s essential to book your transport and other help well in advance. Also important is to clarify what each contractor will do, when and where they’ll be needed, where they are going, and the costs involved.

Preparing stock for moving usually starts several weeks in advance, including a feed transition plan for cows moving onto new feed. Supplementing feed with extra magnesium to combat the extra stress of the move is also recommended.

For farming contractors who are moving to 50/50 sharemilking and have purchased their own cows for the rst time, the excitement of moving on and moving up can be enormous. This is part of the rural dream, part of building a legacy for generations to come.

Dairy farmers are reminded to undertake best practices to safeguard water quality and transport safety on Moving Day.

Regional councils urge those on the move to stand cows off green feed for around four to 12 hours (but no more than 12 hours) before loading them onto trucks. This helps to reduce the amount of ef uent on trucks, to keep ef uent off the roads

(which could become a safety hazard for other drivers), and to keep it out of adjacent waterways. For welfare reasons, DairyNZ also recommends that a grazed-out paddock or stand-off pad are better options for standing stock rather than a concrete surface, as the latter can contribute to tender feet and is not good for stock to lie down on.

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