Changes to NVD version number and Angus brand compliance
UPDATE: From 1st January 2021 only NVDs with version number C0720 will be accepted as an industry standard. This version was released 1st July 2020.
This includes NVD acceptability for all Verified Black Angus Beef brand compliance for Angus cattle deliveries to Whyalla Beef Feedlot, Rangers Valley Feedlot, Killara Feedlot and Sapphire Feedlot.
This new version can be accessed through the LPA Service Centre website as an online eNVD or by ordering a new NVD Booklet. You can now also access a digital paperless mobile-friendly version (mNVD) by installing the newly launched AXIchain mobile app.
Many of us as producers have heard it time and time again, ‘Make sure you fill your NVD out correctly’.
It is a constant statement that is continually hammered into producers by agents and buyers.
No doubt many of you have been asked to ‘fix’ an NVD because something was filled in incorrectly and have had to go through the rigmarole of amending your NVD, initialling your changes and then having to scan or photograph it and email it back to your agent, the feedlot or whomever wants it.
This process can seem annoying, time consuming and let’s be honest, just a proper pain in the you know where. So why all the fuss?
I can assure you that the ‘fuss’ really does matter to you and your business in the long run.
An NVD is the one single document that links you as the breeders and the information about your animals to the WHOLE supply chain.
There is no one else in the supply chain that can accurately identify or provide critical information about your animals.
As a consumer’s thirst for knowledge about the products they are buying to feed to their family and friends seems to be un-quenchable, the pressure on the transparent flow and availability of information about products is growing daily.
The driving force for the consumer is knowing it was a healthy animal, raised ethically and that they, the consumer, is getting what they are paying for. This is where the NVD, that simple one-page document, becomes SO important.
At all levels of the beef supply chain, the information available provides the foundation for any claims and promises made about beef products. This information is used by branded beef producers to substantiate their brand claims, be they HGP free, antibiotic free or what many of us have found to be the reason we are amending NVDs is pure Angus or in Angus Australia’s case, Verified Black Angus Beef.
Australian Angus brand owners who are part of Verified Black Angus Beef program use this program to provide their customers, and those further down the supply chain validity of their Angus claim through an independently reviewed process by the representative of all Australian Angus farmers, Angus Australia. Whereby their Angus brand is endorsed by the Australian Angus community.
It is no secret worldwide that consumers see Angus beef as a premium product, and they are willing to pay more for it. Couple that with that thirst for knowledge when making buying decisions and the necessity to validate a brands claim as Angus has never been more important.
This is where your NVD is SO important so stick with me.
The Verified Black Angus Beef program bases a large percentage of its weighting to the information provided by you, the producer, on your NVD.
If the breed description of animals does not meet the required ‘Angus x Angus’, which demonstrates that both the sire and the dam are pure Angus, the integrity of the ‘Angus’ claim becomes questionable.
If the consumer is in a position where they lose confidence in the claims a beef brand makes it is reasonable to assume that they will not pay a premium for the product. They may still buy it, but if they are not satisfied that it is not different to any other beef on the shelf or on the menu, why would they pay more for it?
I think it is clear, that if this were the case, then the premium we all enjoy for our Angus cattle when we sell them to the feedlot or through the paddock or saleyards is in jeopardy of disappearing.
It would be a considerable shame to lose such an important market advantage in the beef supply chain because we as the producers, and sole providers of truth for all the information the consumer is interested in, doesn’t take the time and effort to ensure we complete that single page form that identifies our animals and allows the supply chain to drive a considerable premium for our Angus animals.
