THE first markets of the new year have been a mixed bag.
Prices have been relatively stable and many producers have high expectations.
But the greatest talking point of the cattle, sheep and lamb sales at Dublin have been the confusion and lack of knowledge surrounding the introduction of the Russia factor on the standard cattle and sheep National Vendor Declaration forms.
Everybody knows and appreciates the need for the protection against chemical residues that could jeopardise any of our export markets, and if producers need to hand-write a disclaimer on an NVD then so be it.
On December 23, 2011, Safe Meat issued advice that as of January 1, 2012 a 90-day Export Slaughter Interval would apply to any livestock either treated with or fed any derivative of the compounds Oxytetracycline or Chlortetracycline. Any infringement of these rules and subsequent tracing of residue in any product exported to Russia could seriously affect the trade with our fourth-largest meat importer.
The chemical names are, as usual, a bit daunting. Farmers have so many chemical compounds floating around that being aware of their brand names is difficult enough without having to know what the active constituent actually is.
The best advice is to look up the Safe Meat website where a comprehensive list of products is on display. The most commonly used product that I could identify was Terramycin, commonly used for cattle pinkeye.
Unfortunately, this product is so effective that many cockies have been known to use it as an all-round treatment for an array of ailments.
I have been guilty of using pinkeye powder on cuts on horses, calves and even on a dog with a cut pad. All these resulted in speedy cures that defied conventional medications.
The problem encountered this week has nothing whatsoever to do with the efficacy of the drug or the Russian authorities' reluctance to entertain our product when it contains any residue. Where the problem lies is in the dissemination of information.
I am certainly not laying the blame on any particular entity. It appears that the greatest problem has been the timing.
Christmas is downtime for nearly everyone in Australia. Agents and farmers take a deep breath and casually ignore each other's needs for a couple of weeks while they reflect on what has been, before bracing themselves for the challenges that lay ahead. So it was no surprise that when cattle arrived at Dublin on Sunday and sheep and lambs on Tuesday, that there were few that had the requisite information on the NVD.
If it were not so serious it would have been comical. Agents were in a state of flux. They decided that any stock that was Russia-ineligible would be announced before the pen was offered. But the problem with this was that there were so many pens that were ineligible that they were also announcing when stock was eligible.
So what's the problem with that, you ask? Well, you try saying ineligible and eligible several hundred times in half an hour and see how many times your tongue twists. I heard pens that were "illegible", "not legible" and one auctioneer managed to call one pen "illegitimate".
This whole problem is, of course, the ultimate "storm in a tea cup".
The vast majority of livestock marketed in South Australia meets the standards, and the simple task of writing 'Russian Eligible' on the NVD should not present too many difficulties for anyone, keeping in mind that the document is a legal document and the declaration has to be accurate.
So, do the paperwork, keep the shufflers happy, protect our export markets and give your hip pockets a chance to stay flush.
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