NLIS Cattle: Questions and answers

Australia needs effective identification and tracing systems to provide whole-of-life traceability to maintain consumer confidence in the safety and integrity of meat, and to underpin Australia’s domestic and international trade in livestock and livestock products.

This is especially important in the case of an exotic disease outbreak, such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), where effective tracing of livestock can reduce the impact of such a disease, or in a food safety or chemical residue incident.

The NLIS is underpinned by legislation in each state or territory. In NSW this is the Biosecurity (NLIS) Regulation 2017.

Permanent identification of livestock benefits livestock industries by:

• improving livestock traceability to reduce the impact of livestock disease and residue incidents
• ensuring ongoing access to valuable overseas markets
• maintaining consumer confidence in Australian beef and dairy products
• offering producers improved herd management options, and
• providing better proof of ownership to reduce stock theft

Further information on the NLIS is available from NSW Department of Primary Industries, and enquiries can be sent to enquiries.nlis@dpi.nsw.gov.au.

Yes, participation in the NLIS is mandatory for all cattle producers and participants of the red meat supply chain.

You'll find a full overview of your responsibilities to identify your livestock on the NLIS Cattle page.

All cattle must be permanently identified with an NLIS device before they leave their property of birth or any other property. Once attached the NLIS device must not be removed, i.e. it stays with the cattle for its lifetime.

All movements of cattle between other properties with different PICs must be recorded in the NLIS database by the owner of or the person receiving the cattle at the next property.

Saleyard operators are required to record all cattle moved to the sale yard in the NLIS database and the destination of all cattle sold or moved unsold from their saleyard.

Abattoir operators are required to notify the database of all cattle slaughtered at their abattoir.

For more information, download our factsheet on identification and stock movements (PDF, 231.2 KB).

Yes. All cattle being moved from a property must be identified with an NLIS device. This includes cattle being moved for sale, show, slaughter, agistment or to a different property for any reason. Once identified the device remains attached to the cattle for its life.

Cattle which stay on their property of birth for their lifetime don’t have to be identified with an NLIS device, unless required for management purposes, or to help with the mitigation of possible straying or theft of stock.

Cattle being moved to sale or to slaughter must be accompanied by a National Vendor Declaration and Waybill (NVD). Information on obtaining an NVD is available from Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) or phone 1800 683 111, or email lpa@mla.com.au

NVDs are available in the form of an NVD booklet, or electronic NVD (eNVD) (you can find these on the LPA website).

For cattle moving between properties a Transported Stock Statement (TSS) may be used instead of an NVD as long as the ‘From’ PIC and the address or the ‘To’ PIC of the destination of the cattle is recorded in addition to other details on the form. This document provides traceability information to allow the recording of the cattle movement on the NLIS database.

Other approved NLIS movement documents include an Local Land Services (LLS) stock permit, or a permit (PDF, 1058.29 KB) granted under the Biosecurity Act 2015.

For more information, download our factsheet on identification and stock movements.

Not until they are identified. If you can demonstrate you have placed an order for NLIS devices to identify your cattle you should contact your Local Land Services (LLS) to arrange for special (emergency) identifiers to be attached to the cattle before they leave the property.

Yes if the property has a different PIC. An NVD or TSS must accompany the cattle and the movement must be recorded in the NLIS database unless the properties have the same PIC.

Cattle moving from interstate must be identified with an NLIS device before entering NSW and their arrival on your property recorded in the NLIS database. All other jurisdictions have the same NLIS requirements for cattle as NSW.

More information about this can be found on the NLIS Cattle page.

No. Do not ever remove an existing NLIS device. In fact, it is an offence under the Biosecurity (NLIS) Regulation 2017 to remove an NLIS device from cattle unless it is done on the approval of an authorised officer (authorised under the Biosecurity Act 2015).

Note: it is the seller responsibility to ensure all livestock have an NLIS device before they are sold.

Once the movement of the cattle to your property has been recorded on the NLIS database, it will show that your property is the current residence of the cattle. Ensuring that all cattle movements during their lifetime are recorded in the NLIS database means those animals have lifetime traceability (LT).

While it is an offence to remove an existing NLIS device from cattle, approval can be obtained from an LLS authorised officer to remove a non-functioning or damaged device and replace it with a functioning device.

Yes. Your cattle must be identified with an NLIS device and the device must contain the PIC for the land on which the cattle were born, even if this is the leased or agistment property.

For cattle born on leased or agistment properties, NLIS devices should be obtained from the owner of the property. Otherwise you should obtain the property owner’s permission to order devices printed with the agistment PIC. The property owner should also supply an NVD book printed with the PIC of the agistment property for use when stock move off the agistment property to sale or slaughter, or to another property.

In the case of cattle on a LLS travelling stock reserve (TSR), the LLS office will be able to issue NLIS identifiers for the TSR PIC. Special (emergency) NLIS devices may be supplied in certain circumstances.

A factsheet on moving cattle between agistments has can be downloaded from the DPI website.

The NLIS device manufacturers who sell accredited NLIS identifiers are listed on the NLIS website. These devices meet the NLIS Standard for Radio-Frequency Identification Devices (RFID). Devices can be ordered through your rural merchandiser or directly from a tag manufacturer.

The cost of NLIS ear devices varies between manufacturers. Historically prices have been around $3 per tag plus GST and slightly more expensive for rumen boluses.

Yes. Device manufacturers sell applicators, which must be used correctly if the device is to be attached securely and without damage to the ‘right’ (or offside) ear of all cattle.

More information on how to attach tags can be found in our 8 step guide to moving and selling cattle.

Cattle being sold direct to slaughter must be identified with an NLIS device. Remember, all cattle must be identified before they leave their property of birth or any other property.

Yes. There are two types of NLIS permanent identifiers (devices) for cattle:

• White breeder devices are attached to cattle while still on their property of birth
• Orange post-breeder devices are attached to cattle bought from another property which have lost or damaged their device, or to any other unidentified cattle

Both breeder and post breeder devices are available as ear tags or rumen bolus/ear tag combination.

More information on tags and types how to attach tags can be found in our 8 step guide to moving and selling cattle.