A livestock trader who failed to declare the movement of 513 cattle under the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Act has been fined $10,000.

Dallas Garry Gerken (31) was sentenced in the Ashburton District Court on Monday on two charges he pleaded guilty to under the NAIT Act, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

The animals were moved to different North Island farms from Canterbury without their movements being recorded into the NAIT system.

Under the Act, all cattle or deer must be fitted with a NAIT tag and registered in the NAIT system by the time the animal is 180 days old, or before the animal is moved off farm.

MPI manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance, South, Peter Hyde said it was hundreds of animals, and “it only takes one animal to potentially cause a biosecurity problem, as we have learned from our experience with Mycoplasma bovis”.

"The NAIT tag and registration system is only as effective as the information that’s entered.”

An audit of the animal movement history found that between December 2023 and May 2024, 121 cattle were moved to three North Island registered NAIT locations without that movement being recorded.

Additionally, 392 other cattle were moved to 10 North Island registered NAIT locations without that movement being registered.

“MPI takes non-compliance with NAIT seriously,” Hyde said.

“The scheme provides a critical tool in the fight against biosecurity incursions.

“Put simply, when people in charge of animals disregard their NAIT obligations they put the whole agricultural sector at risk.”