Buying, Selling and Moving Livestock

Key Points

Each time that livestock are bought, sold or moved from one property (PIC) to another, a livestock movement must be recorded on the NLIS Database.  The information required to record a livestock movement varies depending on where the animals have moved from and to, and on the type of identification attached to the livestock.

How do I record stock movements on the NLIS Database?

The information needed to record a movement will vary according to the origin and destination of the movement, and the type of identification tags attached to the livestock.

Movements of livestock with electronic RFID tags are recorded using the Livestock moved onto/off my property function.

Movements of livestock with visual tags are recorded using the Mob-based movement onto/off my property function.

Whose responsibility is it to record livestock movements?

If livestock are bought, sold or moved through a saleyard, the livestock movement must be recorded by the saleyard.

For private sales (i.e. sales and movements that do not take place via a saleyard), the buyer/receiver of the livestock must record the livestock movement onto their property.

The vendor/sender of the livestock is not obligated to record the movement off their property, although they may do so.

Failure to record a movement may result in a fine being issued by the relevant State/Territory NLIS authority or the Federal Department of Agriculture. Extreme cases of non-compliance may also lead to criminal prosecution.

How long do I have to record a livestock movement?

For information on the timeframe in which you should record NLIS movements, please contact your State/Territory NLIS authority.

I’m a small hobby farmer. Do I still have to record livestock movements?

Yes, you do. All livestock movements must be recorded on the NLIS Database, regardless of the size of your property or the number of animals on the property.

I didn’t keep/receive a copy of a movement’s documentation (such as an LPA NVD). Can I still record this movement?

For all cattle, and for electronically ear-tagged sheep and goats, you can record a livestock movement on the Database without an LPA NVD serial number. This is an optional field in the Livestock moved onto/off my property function.

Please note that, for EU-accredited cattle, failure to enter a European Union Vendor Declaration (EUVD) number will result in the animals losing their EU accreditation.

For sheep and goats with a visual tag, you will not be able to complete your mob-based movement on the Database without an LPA NVD serial number.

How can I record livestock movements using the visual tag number, or must I scan animals to record a livestock movement?

For cattle, you can use the Livestock moved onto/off my property function to record a movement using either the electronic RFID or visual NLISID.

For sheep and goats, you can use the Mob-based movement onto/off my property function to record a movement using visual NLISID numbers.

For sheep tagged with an electronic RFID, you may also use the Livestock moved onto/off my property function.

Can I delete/correct a livestock movement I’ve incorrectly recorded?

You may be able to delete or correct an incorrectly recorded livestock movement depending on the circumstances of the movement. See the Transfer correction Tech Tip for more information.

EU-accredited properties must obtain approval from the European Union Cattle Accreditation Scheme (EUCAS) before performing a transfer correction. Contact EUCAS on (180) 030-5544 (Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM) for more information.

Source: Meat & Livestock Australia