The latest stage of DAERA’s new Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) is set to launch on Monday 4 September 2023.
NIFAIS is a key traceability and disease control system that will underpin the agri-food sector in Northern Ireland. The latest release focusses on bovine functionality and affects a wide range of users.
Users are reminded that APHIS will be offline from 2pm on Saturday 2 September to facilitate the migration of data to NIFAIS.
Sheep market operators, tag suppliers and exporters need to be aware that APHIS may not be available again for sheep moves until late on Saturday evening and should plan accordingly.
Whilst the two systems are very similar farmers will notice a few small changes:
- When creating a movement document, you need to enter the herd number which animals are moving to, along with the first half of the postcode of buyer – e.g. BT34 or BT8. NIFAIS will validate this data to ensure it matches before displaying the name of the buyer.
- All names and addresses now come from a central source so if there are issues with these, please contact your local DAERA office and have your full address available including number, road name and postcode.
- The herds and flocks you are able to access online may be reduced. If you require access to a herd or flock that is not listed on NIFAIS you will need the keeper to grant permission by contacting their local DAERA Office.
The go live date for NIFAIS will depend on the successful data migration and testing during this weekend. External stakeholders will be kept up-to-date with progress over the weekend by the NIFAIS Communications Team.
Should there be any issues that prevent NIFAIS fully operating, APHIS will be available as usual to all stakeholders from 6.00 am on Monday 4 September 2023.
Please direct any queries through your local DAERA Direct Office on 0300 200 7840 and ask to be put through to Customer Service Branch or email: NIFAISComms@daera-ni.gov.uk
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