An electronic version of the National Vendor Declaration (NVD) was launched recently at BeefEx 2006 which will slash $11 off the current price of NVDs.

Called the eDEC™, the new electronic NVD is easier to fill out and minimises error rates when entering information compared to the paper-based NVD forms.

The use of 20 eDEC™ NVDs will cost only $16.50 (inc’ GST) compared to $27.50 for a book of 20 paper-based NVDs.

MLA Manager of Livestock Quality Systems Patrick Hutchinson said the eDEC™ would make life easier for producers who regularly use NVDs. “The eDEC™ is a very attractive service for livestock producers – it’s cheaper, quicker and more accurate than the paper-based NVD,” Mr Hutchinson said.   “The eDEC™ has the ability to pre-populate fields, such as address and LPA details, so the room for error when entering information is significantly decreased. Accuracy is vital when it comes to completing NVDs.”

An eDEC™ NVD cannot be completed and used unless all mandatory fields have been filled in.  The eDEC™ has been through a year of thorough trials with several of Australia’s largest feedlots, who are regular users of NVDs.  “Several major feedlots have been using the eDEC™ for some time and they have seen significant cost savings, but more importantly they’ve experienced huge time savings through not having to follow up incorrect NVDs,” Mr Hutchinson said.

Although an eDEC™ NVD can be printed it also allows producers to send an NVD electronically to purchasers, which speeds up the transaction process.

To use the eDEC™ producers need to be LPA accredited. To obtain the free eDEC™ software producers have to visit www.mla.com.au/lqs and follow the instructions to download the program.

Companies that want to receive the new eDEC™ from vendors will have to download free viewer software from www.mla.com.au/lqs.

Further information about the eDEC™, including a comprehensive question and answer page, can also be found online at www.mla.com.au/lqs.