The switchover to the new NI Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) has not resulted in the loss of historical livestock data, a DAERA spokesperson has confirmed.

Farmers accessing NIFAIS have noted that they cannot get a “point-in-time” herd list prior to 2020. It was also possible when using APHIS to go back and look at sire and dam data for breeding animals no longer in the herd.

“All living animals and those which have died/been exported in the last three years (including their full testing/movement histories) were brought over into NIFAIS,” confirmed the DAERA spokesperson, who added that information prior to 2020 is now stored in “a separate repository within departmental IT infrastructure”.

According to John Martin from Holstein NI, some sire information recorded by farmers on APHIS is no longer available. He also pointed out that having historical breeding information is important when working out breeding strategies and registering pedigree herds.

“We have our own bank of data and would be willing to work with DAERA to try to improve the information held on NIFAIS,” Martin told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Audit office critical of APHIS replacement

News round-up from Northern Ireland

Historic livestock data not lost, says DAERA

Concerns have been raised that data had been lost in the switch from APHIS to NIFAIS.