Meet the ISC team: George Basha
Integrity Systems Company (ISC) Customer Services Manager, George Basha is a Waratahs fan and a keen supporter of his local Eastwood rugby club – the “Woodies”. He has been with MLA for 18 years and the best part of his role is meeting producers around Australia and helping them tackle their issues.
“I enjoy getting out and meeting farmers, face-to-face, as they are,” says George.
“I do workshops in every corner of Australia; from Perth all the way across to Undara, south-west of Cairns.”
With a background in education and software support, George is very well placed to support delivery of the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) and the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program - helping farmers understand their responsibilities and being across the intricacies of the IT that backs the integrity system’s software.
George’s day-to-day tasks include helping producers, agents, feed lotters with any problems they encounter with LPA and NLIS, fielding calls and emails, managing the helpdesk team, and delivering workshops on the LPA program, the National Vendor Declaration (LPA NVD), NLIS and Livestock Data Link (LDL).
George says the workshops provide a good opportunity for hearing farmers’ feedback and concerns.
“I listen to them,” he said.
“Farmers are most interested in gaining an understanding of what their requirements are now. They want to know what the changes are and why they have been made.”
“I explain the various requirements they need to operate, such as LPA, NLIS and NVDs. I take back any concerns they have and do my best to ensure they are rectified.”
As animals are bought, sold and moved along the supply chain, they must be tagged with an NLIS-accredited tag or device. The system enables the lifetime traceability of animals.
“NLIS means that we have traceability in case of emergencies and disease outbreaks,” he said.
“It’s a critical part of the integrity system which ensures market access - people who buy our product domestically and internationally can trust that it has been produced with the highest regard for food safety and biosecurity.”
After cleanly snapping his achilleas off his ankle in 1999, George prefers to watch his rugby and has plans to see the Australian rugby sevens in Hong Kong this April. George also enjoys eating good food and being with his family.
