There were 23 operational recommendations but the rest require legislation to be passed by Parliament before being implemented.
They include strengthening compliance, a role involving Nait but with enforcement by Ministry for Primary Industry inspectors who investigate and prosecute.
More than 300 letters have been sent to farmers questioning non-compliance with Nait, of which 65% were amicably resolved, she said.
The rest are being investigated by MPI staff and so far this year 39 infringement notices have been issued.
The most common non-compliance is not registering animals or not moving animals in the allotted 48 hours.
“Predominantly the registration of animals and animal movement are the two areas of priority.”
Ospri’s relationship with MPI is working well and is necessary to achieve economies of scale and efficiency because MPI has the investigative resources, Edge said.
Its powers have been strengthened with the addition of search and surveillance authority for MPI staff investigating Nait non-compliance.
Other operational improvements being introduced vary from accrediting recording devices to having an online process to clarify for farmers whether Nait numbers are required for multiple farms.
“This change enhances adherence to the 10km radius rule in the Nait Act and was applied in the system earlier in the year in preparation for Moving Day to mitigate any potential risks to the current disease response effort,” she said.
Also included are improvements in the Nait registration process for farmers and the introduction of standards required of sale yards and meat processors.
That had been a confusing area and the changes should clarify responsibilities.
“We are looking to achieve clarity around these activities on behalf of farmers and to update farmers to make it easier to be compliant.”
Further changes are being made to how farmers record animal movements online, new processes for uploading animals with radio frequency identification tags and recording animals that are impractical to tag or have lost their tags.
Details of the changes are available on the Ospri website and include videos, online tutorials and fact sheets.
In addition, all people in charge of Nait animals (Picas) will be emailed and posted a guide to understanding their Nait obligations as part of their registration or re-registration process.
Edge’s message to farmers is that Ospri is evolving and making improvements but they take time.
She also urges farmers to have their say in the consultation process over the regulatory changes the Government proposes making.
News England is introducing a new traceability programme for livestock is an example of how systems are evolving.
Edge said England operates a paper system where animals have a book that moves with them. It details health, disease and movement histories.
Discussions are now under way to introduce an online system like Nait.
