Listen: Nathan Guy - NAIT Bill 'goes too far'

National Party agriculture spokesman Nathan Guy. Photo / Supplied

The Government introduced the NAIT Amendment Bill last Thursday, and passed it under urgency yesterday.

The Bill makes changes to the Act which will allow for warrantless inspections of farms, clarifies animal movement requirements, and makes it an offence not to record animal movements.

National Party agriculture spokesman Nathan Guy spoke to The Country's Jamie Mackay saying farmers should be "wary," of the changes which he believes have been rushed.

"We were pretty pissed off it didn't go to a select committee and the Minister Damien O'Connor decided to bang it through all stages of Parliament. We would've preferred that he's slowed down and consulted with the likes of Federated Farmers, Beef and Lamb, DairyNZ and actually farmers. "

Listen below:

Mackay points out that both DairyNZ and Beef and Lamb have come out in support of the changes.

"I'm not sure that they've read the detail of the Bill," says Guy.

While the National Party agrees there need to be changes to the NAIT system, there are concerns with the new recommendation of search and surveillance and warrantless powers says Guy.

"Which would mean an MPI officer could come onto your farm without cause and potentially seize some for your equipment ... We tried to curtail those powers through amendments in the house ... we couldn't get he government to support them."

"We just think it goes too far."