The Animal Status Declaration (ASD) is a mandated form under the Animal Products Act 1999 for the specification for products intended for human consumption. It is a key traceability implementation tool that provides consignment related information about the animal(s) being moved. The ASD is a statutory declaration completed by the person in charge of the animal(s) (PICA) who has the knowledge and authority to answer the questions.

The Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) and OSPRI, in collaboration with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), introduced an electronic ASD (eASD) proof of concept product which involved the development of a trial software platform to test the feasibility of an eASD form to replace the current paper ASD form.

About the project
The eASD project started with a business case that outlined the need for and benefits of making paper ASDs electronic. Development began in October 2015 and went live in February 2016 with a testing group comprising 16 farmers and three meat processing plants. The proof of concept stage resulted in 90 per cent of participants advising their satisfaction with the application and their preference for an electronic system over a paper form.

At the end of 2016, RMPP and OSPRI moved into a pilot phase, commencing early 2017 to trial the complete eASD process with one major meat processor (silver Fern Farms) and their supply chain. This phase included a notification of eASD and therefore paperless process stock transporters. The Pilot focused on applying the eASD with the Silver Fern Farms' Finegand plant and their nominated livestock suppliers and farmers.

One of the requirements of the project was for OSPRI to deliver a full business case for eASD implementation that takes into account the cost and benefit of such transition for all sectors and stakeholders in the industry. In May 2017, OSPRI developed a business case and proposal for linkage of eASD/ASD with NAIT information system.

From 1 August 2017, the pilot moved into phase one implementation which involved a dedicated project to engage further meat processors and their nominated suppliers to a total of 5,000 users. This phase will include direct farm to slaughter movements, farm to farm and farm to sale-yard movements. This phase will be completed by July 2018. By this time, determination on the development of a full program is anticipated, where broader application a full product, developed from the learnings in the pilot, would potentially involve a wider segment of industry participants.