Is It Legally Required To Register Goats

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats, known as the NLIS (Sheep & Goats), is Commonwealth of australia'due south organization for identifying and tracking sheep and goats for disease control, nutrient safety and marketplace admission purposes.

All sheep and goat producers and keepers must ensure:

the land on which their animals are kept has a Property Identification Lawmaking (PIC)
all sheep and not-exempt goats are identified with an NLIS (Sheep) ear tag before leaving their property
the inflow of sheep or goats directly from another property is registered inside ii days on the NLIS database
a National Vendor Declaration (NVD) course or similar motility document is supplied to the person receiving their animals.

Transition to electronic identification of sheep and goats

From one January 2022 all sheep and not-exempt goats, regardless of age, must be identified with an electronic NLIS (Sheep) tag before leaving a Victorian property.

Identification requirements for sheep and goats are changing. From 1 January 2022, every sheep and non-exempt goat should be tagged with a National Livestock Identification System electronic identification tag before leaving your property.

This organization benefits you, your animals and community by improving traceability of animals in the event of a disease outbreak and helps safeguard Victoria's agricultural manufacture.

For more information visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/sheepEID or telephone call 1800 678 779.

NLIS (Sheep & Goats) Standards

The NLIS (Sheep & Goats) Standards 2022 provide further data about keeping and trading sheep and goats in Victoria.

NLIS (Sheep and Goat) Victorian Standards 2022 (PDF - 1.2 MB)
NLIS (Sheep and Goat) Victorian Standards 2022 (WORD - 2.5 MB)
NLIS (Sheep and Goat) Victorian Standards 2022 – accessible (WORD - 65.5 KB)

Victorian implementation of electronic identification sheep and goats

Learn how electronic identification of sheep and goats is streamlining processes in the livestock industry and providing potent traceability systems.

Victoria's livestock industries are essential to our rural and regional communities. Their future relies on potent traceability systems providing confidence to consumers both here and overseas.

Victoria began implementing electronic identification of sheep and goats from 2017. At that time, the value of livestock candy was four.7 billion dollars. Victoria's sheep and caprine animal industries, through strong collaboration with government, accept played a pregnant role in shaping the electronic National Livestock Identification System.

This has led to innovation and development of tailor-made software, hardware and information processing technologies. The whole supply chain is at present capable of collecting, recording and analysing electronic identification data.

Sheepmeat producers and wool growers are increasingly adopting electronic NLIS technology for flock management and functioning recording purposes.

Charley Defegely: 'I'g Charlie DeFegely and our holding's Quamby and information technology'south situated at Dobie, which is just east of Ararat. And we've got a prime number lamb flock running predominantly composite ewes and we put eID tags in nearly x years ago. So all our flock now have eID tags. Nosotros did that because we are individually measuring ewes for fleece weight measurement. EID works actually well if you're taking measurements because, firstly, it stops a lot of mistakes in transposing figures. So, that element of mistake was completely cut out and I call up that anyone in the wool industry wanting to improve either their fleece weights or microns it would be a no-brainer to use it. The more and more than we use it, the improve off information technology'll be.'

Where producers utilize the capabilities of electronic information on-farm, the benefits far outweigh the small-scale additional cost of the tag.

The on-farm data capture allows producers to brand informed decisions around market specifications and productivity. The software used in Victorian saleyards connects to bluetooth and wifi, which has been transformational. Next-generation high-flow readers adult by industry with authorities funding have led to efficient scanning.

'As a saleyard, once agents enter in the data onto their tablets when vendors are booked in I know how many sheep are actually in the saleyards, what vendors are in what pens. People were quite happy with the style that in that location was no balking through our three-way typhoon system.'

'All our information entry, our buyers and that is done on the fall of the hammer, put into the tablets that nosotros accept assembled at that place and that's fed direct through our office. There was plenty of times when the paper system nosotros had in place was hard to follow, hard to read, got lost or dirty. The improvements and efficiencies take been massive in our business concern.'

'With our software, I tin can go down to the commitment yards and browse ane animal and I know who, what abattoir or end user that is. If I have annihilation that's getting near their curfew fourth dimension for them to be in the saleyards I tin really, again, apply my tablet and software and so then I tin can contact the livestock transporters and they'll let me know if they're leaving, they've forgotten them and then I can put them out of the paddock.'

'The electronic ID organization changed how we do things in the yards and how much more advanced nosotros are in the saleyards program now. So, when yous do get to the role the end of the day our reconciliation is 100 per cent right.'

At the bespeak the animal is processed the tag is scanned and electronic information is linked to the carcass assuasive for individual carcass data to be fed back to the producer for commercial benefit and to the processor to better manage input costs. We believe it really gives Victoria, Victorian producers and Victorian processors the power to have that extra amount of information that they can provide to our customers.

'And then, we call back that this system really does enhance our traceability capabilities. Prior to that, it was all in batches or all mob-based, whereas now it's an private carcase. And so, nosotros can really trace that individual carcass all the mode through.

Through ongoing collaboration and innovation between government and manufacture electronic traceability provides verified and accurate whole-of-life data.

The contributions and combined efforts through the livestock manufacture will go on to build on and shape the future of sheep and goat production.

'We realised that it was coming in. We embraced information technology. Everything simply seemed to roll seamlessly through and the efficiencies and the savings in our business were slap-up and more than we ever thought they would be. We would never get back the old manner now.'

Holding Identification Codes (PICs)

Under Victorian police, individuals must have a PIC for backdrop, including a residential property, on which sheep or goats are or will exist kept.

PICs are issued by Agriculture Victoria and are free of charge.

For more data meet property identification codes.

To apply for or amend a pic online, visit the Property Identification codes website.

NLIS (Sheep) tags

All sheep and non-exempt goats, regardless of age, must be identified with an electronic NLIS (Sheep) tag before being dispatched from a Victorian holding.

There are two types of electronic NLIS (Sheep) tags available:

breeder tags
post-breeder tags.

NLIS (Sheep) breeder tags

NLIS (Sheep) breeder tags are colour-coded to lucifer industry'due south 'yr of birth' tag colour organisation and are used to permanently place sheep and goats before they go out their property of birth.

NLIS (Sheep) post-breeder tags

NLIS (Sheep) post-breeder tags are pinkish and are used to permanently identify introduced sheep and goats non already identified with an electronic tag, or that have lost their original tag.

For more than information nearly the sheep and caprine animal year of nativity tag colour system, go to the Integrity Systems web page.

It is very important that the correct NLIS tag is used. If not, it will falsely indicate the convenance and life history of an fauna.

Interstate animals

All sheep and non-exempt goats introduced from interstate must exist tagged with an electronic NLIS (Sheep) pinkish postal service-breeder tag before existence dispatched from a Victorian property, unless they are already tagged with an electronic NLIS (Sheep) tag.

Sheep and goats dispatched from an interstate holding and entering Victoria must be identified in accordance with the legal requirements of the jurisdiction from which they were dispatched.

Tagging requirements

NLIS (Sheep) tags can be attached to either ear, though trials bespeak that fewer tags are lost at shearing when placed in the left ear.
Merely 1 electronic NLIS (Sheep) tag must be nowadays on a sheep or goat at any fourth dimension.
NLIS (Sheep) tags purchased for apply on ane property must not be practical to sheep or goats located on another holding, unless the bundle of country is linked to the Moving picture. Visit the Property Identification Codes website to amend your Flick details.
NLIS (Sheep) tags must not be used to identify any other livestock species (such as cattle, alpacas and pigs).
NLIS (Sheep) tags must not be removed unless the device is damaged and cannot be read electronically.
It is not a legal requirement in Victoria to use the right 'year of birth' coloured breeder tags, just it is encouraged.

How to tag your sheep and goats

Apply NLIS (Sheep) tags according to the manufacturer'south instruction with the manufacturer's recommended applicator

If an wrong applicator is used, tags may fall out and the microchip in the tag may exist damaged.

Image of sheep ear. Incorrect when applied to the top corner of the ear, bottom middle or top middle

Image of sheep showing the correct placement of the tag. This is the middle of the ear.

Applying tags correctly the first time avoids the price and inconvenience of re-tagging.

Goats

Goat producers must use accredited NLIS (Sheep) tags and must specify when placing orders that the tags they are purchasing volition exist used to identify goats.

Tagging using an NLIS (Sheep) tag is optional for the following goat breeds:

Miniature goats
Saanen
British Alpine
Toggenburg
Anglo Nubian
Melaan
Australian Brown
Tall
LaMancha
Nigerian Dwarf

Tagging using an NLIS (Sheep) tag is also optional for:

slink lambs and kids that are being consigned directly to a knackery
wild harvested (feral) goats destined for firsthand slaughter.

When exempt goat breeds are not identified with an NLIS (Sheep) tag and are moved, a movement document must exist completed and supplied to the receiver. The receiver must also record the move of the goats on the NLIS database as a mob-based move within two days of their inflow.

Order National Livestock Identification (NLIS) Tags from Agronomics Victoria

Call our NLIS helpline on 1800 678 779 between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday, submit a newspaper application class or order online.

Club early as delivery delays may be experienced by Australia Post due to COVID-nineteen. Parcel tracking information will be emailed to your once your order is manufactured.

Gild NLIS tags online

Recording sheep and goat movements

When sheep and goats are moved between backdrop with different PICs, the person receiving the sheep or goats is required to register the movement on the NLIS database.

A property-to-property transfer (often called a P2P movement) includes:

private sales of sheep and goats
sheep or goats being agisted or lent
sheep or goats traded through online selling platforms such as AuctionsPlus, Gumtree and Facebook.

In these situations, thebuyer or receiver of the stock is responsible for ensuring the motion on the NLIS database is completed.

A person may engage a third party to scan tags and report movements to the NLIS database, e.k. a stock agent, transporter or other service provider. However, the heir-apparent/receiver is still required to ensure the transfer is completed on their behalf.

The NLIS database move record must exist completed:

within 2 days of the sheep or goats arriving at the new holding, or
before the animals get out the belongings if within two days.

When sheep or goats are bought, sold or moved through a saleyard, public auction conducted on-farm or sold straight to an shambles or knackery, information technology is the responsibleness of the person operating that business concern to notify the database.

Information on the move of cattle, sheep and goats throughout Australia is stored on the NLIS database.

To open an NLIS database account, visit the NLIS website. For assistance and further data about the functioning of the NLIS database, telephone call the NLIS database helpline on 1800 654 743 during business hours.

For more information run across property to property movements of livestock.

Exempt goat breeds move requirements

Goat breeds that are exempt from electronic NLIS tagging and are non electronically NLIS tagged must be transferred on the NLIS database by completing a mob-based movement (MBM) transfer. All other move and document requirements for sheep and goats also apply.

More information virtually the MBM transfer tin exist found on the Integrity Systems website.

Sheep and goats on agistment

Sheep and not-exempt goats that are moving to an agistment holding must exist identified with an electronic NLIS (Sheep) tag.

Options for sheep and goats on agistment:

PICs are allocated to a package of land that may consist of more than one block within the 1 locality, operating as role of ane livestock enterprise. Provided the land on which the livestock are agisted and leased is in the same locality (in the aforementioned shire or in a neighbouring shire), and so both blocks of state tin exist covered by a 'dwelling' PIC.
Go to the Application for Pic organisation to add or remove parcels of state.
If the agistment belongings operates under a different PIC, the motility of sheep and goats must be recorded on the NLIS database within two days and an NVD must be generated for each movement to and from the agistment belongings.

Sheep and not-exempt goats born on an agistment property must exist identified with an electronic NLIS (Sheep) breeder tag issued for use on that property.

Motility documentation

A movement document such every bit a Livestock Production Assurance National Vendor Declaration (LPA NVD) or similar certificate must be completed before sheep or goats are:

dispatched to a saleyard
dispatched to an butchery
dispatched to a belongings with a different PIC
given away or sold equally pets.

The move document must exist provided to the receiver or new possessor before the sheep or goats arrive or upon arrival.

Movement documents arenot required:

for expressionless livestock existence sent for processing in a knackery
for livestock beingness consigned to an agricultural show or exhibition (provided the livestock volition be returned to the exhibitor's holding immediately after the event).

Livestock Production Balls National Vendor Declaration

Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) is industry's on-farm market assurance plan. Producers seeking information almost LPA and procedures for accessing LPA NVDs should visit the Integrity Systems website or phone the LPA helpline on 1800 683 111 during business hours.

Not-Livestock Product Assurance documentation

Producers who are not part of the Livestock Production Assurance program can consummate a generic Victorian Sheep and goat Consignment Declaration:

Victorian Sheep and Goat Consignment Declaration (PDF - 870.5 KB)
Victorian Sheep and Goat Assignment Declaration (WORD - 27.7 KB)

Some buyers might require as a condition of buy that vendors supply a correctly completed current edition LPA NVD grade. This certificate is not ane of these.

Check with the person receiving your sheep or goats whether they volition accept this document.

For more than information run into National vendor declarations.

Page last updated: 09 Mar 2022