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NLIS Sheep and Goats in Western Australia

What is NLIS (Sheep and Goats)?

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is Australia's system for identifying and tracing livestock. The aim is for a permanent, whole-of-life identification system that enables animals to be tracked from property of birth through all changes of ownership and geographic location until they are sent for slaughter, are exported or die.

NLIS (sheep and goats) is a mob-based identification system using visually readable ear tags combined with paper movement records, usually a national vendor declaration (NVD) waybill. Electronic identification tags are not required.

Mob-based movement (MBM) recording requirements in Western Australia
It is now compulsory for sheep and goat producers in Western Australia  to record movements of sheep and goats on the NLIS database. One or more sheep or goat constitutes a mob and the MBM must be recorded on the NLIS database within 48 hours of the arrival of the sheep or goats at their destination property.

For more information about mob-based movement recording, read the NLIS (Sheep and Goats) Mob-based movement media release or  the  NLIS Ltd factsheet. 

Why is NLIS important?

The key benefits of NLIS are to maintain international market access for sheep and goats and to ensure rapid and accurate lifetime traceability of livestock in the case of a disease outbreak or a meat contamination issue.

BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) cases in Japan, Canada and the USA have highlighted the need for a system that delivers lifetime traceability of all livestock.

The management of exotic diseases requires that industries have adequate tracing systems. NLIS for sheep and goats meets this requirement and ensures the social and financial impact of any disease outbreak such as foot and mouth would be minimised.

NLIS tags must carry the NLIS logo
All new NLIS (sheep and goats) tags sold in Western Australia must be accredited by Meat and Livestock Australia and carry the NLIS logo. All tags bought previously may still be used. To check which manufacturers are accredited, visit the MLA website at www.mla.com.au or see the current (at 25 May 2010) approved NLIS tags manufacturers list. The official approval notice for NLIS tag manufacturers is available at Approval notice for NLIS ear tag manufacturers.

Note: if moving or selling sheep interstate, check their NLIS requirements. Some states require that sheep entering must have NLIS tags bearing the NLIS logo.

Year colour tags – for property of birth
If you have sheep and goats born on your property, you must identify them with a year colour tag imprinted with the owner's brand and NLIS logo by completion of their first shearing or before you move them off your property. A year colour tag magnet showing the year colours and brands office contacts is available by emailing brands@agric.wa.gov.au . 

Pink tags show subsequent owners
If you own sheep and goats that were not born on your property, you must identify them with a pink ear tag imprinted with your brand and NLIS logo before moving them off your property. The recommended practice is to tag sheep on arrival at your property to ensure traceability.

All ear tags — pink and the original owner’s year colour tag — must remain in the animals.

NLIS factsheets, posters, DVDs and booklets

• No. 1: Management of NLIS on-farm
• No. 2: Stock agents
• No. 3: Requirements for saleyard operators
• No. 4: Purchasing sheep/goats
• No. 5: Selling sheep/goats
• No. 6: Transporting sheep/goats
• No. 7: Live export depots
• No. 8: Abattoirs
• No. 9: Agricultural shows, sporting events, transit depots, holding yards
• No. 10: Pastoral goats
• NLIS requirements for goats - September 2009
• Tips on completing NVD-waybills in WA Moving and selling sheep in WA
• The DVD and booklet, Sheep and Goats: What you need to know, provides a step-by-step view of all facets of sheep and goat ownership in Western Australia which will be valuable for both small landholders and experienced commercial farmers. Download the PDF or watch the streaming video. Hard copies are also available by emailing tracy.routledge@agric.wa.gov.au .

NLIS exemption for moving captured unmanaged pastoral goats

The  exemption from NLIS Sheep and Goat requirements is for the movement of captured unmanaged pastoral goats from stations in small numbers not sufficient for truck loads and where facilities are not adequate to handle goats safely to tag them

A general exemption has been issued for captured unmanaged goats to be moved from within the pastoral area to approved depots in the pastoral area that are within 200km.

Depots receiving goats only from neighbouring stations do not require a permit as they are already exempt from the requirements by the regulations.

The exemption has been designed so that only the depot has to apply for approval and this only needs to be applied for once.

Nominated inspectors
The following inspectors are nominated as inspectors to certify depots as approved depots for the purpose of Goat Identification Exemption Notice No 1:

			Phone	Fax
Bob	Vassallo	Bunbury	9780 6203	9780 6136
Roy	Butler	Merredin	9081 3110	9041 1138
Andrew	Longbottom	Karratha	9144 2065	9185 3380
Bill	Gorrie	Kalgoorlie	9088 6019	9091 9854

• Goat Identification Exemption Notice (no.1) : Movement of Captured Unmanaged Goats in the Pastoral Area
• Application form and information for an approved pastoral goat depot
• Approved application form : Approved Pastoral Goat Depot

Exemption for registered stud dairy goats
Goats identified with registered goat identifiers and recorded in the Australian Dairy Goat Stud Register are exempt from NLIS tagging. See Goat Identification Exemption Notice (no.2) 2007. Registered Stud Dairy Goats for more information.

More information on NLIS sheep and goats in Western Australia

Roy Butler, Department of Agriculture and Food, Merredin
Phone: (08) 9081 3110
Email: roy.butler@agric.wa.gov.au

NLIS (Sheep and Goats) Working Group members

For information on NLIS nationally: www.nlis.com.au