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Farmbis Helps Small Landholders With Natural Resource Management

Over the past decade, there has been significant ‘urban push’ with individuals, couples and families choosing to live a rural lifestyle.

By Department of Primary Industries - 25th June 2003 - Back to News

This change has been a boost to many dwindling rural populations, but skills required to manage land and the environment sustainably are often lacking. Managing the natural resources is one skill area that, if done poorly, can have a big impact on not only the landscape, but also the whole community.

For example, if a small landholder mismanaged his/her finances, production or marketing, then quite often it is only their own business that wears the fall-out. Mismanaging natural resources however, can have far reaching impacts. Think about weed management, chemical applications, effluent disposal and pest animal controls to name a few.

As a small landholder or manager, where do you go to get the necessary skills to manage your part of our natural environment sustainably and effectively?

A number of courses that target natural resource management (NRM) training have been subsidised by FarmBis (a Government subsidy program for primary producers and land managers). A number of these courses attract a 90 per cent subsidy, making the training very affordable. Whilst land managers with two hectares or more of land are eligible only for this training, primary producers are able to access all management training which attracts a 75 per cent subsidy.

Courses approved at the higher level subsidy for both land managers and primary producers include:

Courses are run across the state at varying locations and times. FarmBis suggests that you contact the training provider directly for course details and costs.

For more information, contact Brian Greer, FarmBis Co-ordinator, East Gippsland, on 5152 0637 or Glenn Digby, FarmBis Co-ordinator, West Gippsland, on 56 629906 to discuss the range of other NRM courses on offer.

NLIS IDENTIFICATION ENFORCEMENT

Chris Bollen, Animal Health Officer, Maffra.

With the support of the National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) Implementation Advisory Committee, Department of Primary Industry (DPI) Animal Health staff will in the future be more actively enforcing NLIS legislation. As part of this initiative, DPI staff plan to attend selected store sales over the coming weeks.

Producers who have consigned store cattle that are not NLIS identified will be given the option of taking their cattle home. Producers who permit their cattle to be sold without NLIS tags will be interviewed and face the prospect of a $200 fine.

Bobby calves less than 6 weeks of age, not accompanied by their dams, that are consigned to a saleyard for the purpose of sale for slaughter are exempt. Cattle from interstate are also exempt. For such cattle, buyers must obtain orange Post-breeder Tags and tag the cattle they have purchased within 30 days.

In addition, DPI staff will monitor the store sale to ensure that buyers provide selling agents with their Property Identification Code (PIC), or alternatively details of the property to which purchased cattle will be taken. They will also liaise with agents to ensure that the PIC information supplied by buyers is recorded and can be accessed, if/when required, for tracing purposes and to facilitate the registration of movements on the NLIS database.

Producers who intend to sell cattle must ensure their cattle are correctly identified with NLIS tags. All cattle sold at a store sale have to be electronically tagged. At a fat cattle sale, all cattle born after 1st January 2002 have to be electronically ear tagged.

At this stage all cattle at both fat and store sales have to have transaction tags (approved tail tags for cattle with tails and approved ear tags for docked tailed cattle).

Once cattle have been tagged with an electronic NLIS ear tag this tag is never to be removed or replaced. Cattle have to be ear tagged with an electronic breeder or post breeder once only and this tag stays with them for life.

For more information on tagging requirements contact local Animal Health staff at DPI Offices at Bairnsdale 5152 0600, Maffra 5147 0831, Ellinbank, 5624 2222, Leongatha 5662 9900 or Box Hill 9296 4400.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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