Improving traceability of sheep in Western Australia

Biosecurity & Agriculture Management (Identification & Movement of Stock & Apiaries) Regulations 2013

National Livestock Identification System for Sheep

March 2015Jacquie Pearson

Overview

• Background (history and recent review)

• Sheep help desk pilot project – aims and objectives

• Identification and movement

• NLIS database

• Questions and answers

National review of sheep and goat NLIS in 2014 by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)

• States to enhance the current system of mob based movement• requires increased compliance with recording on the NLIS

databaseor

• States to implement electronic identification (EID) of sheep (Victoria support)

Review in 4-5 years to determine if State’s are achieving appropriate traceability standards

Royalties for Regions funded sheep traceability activity

3 year pilot sheep and goat NLIS helpdesk to improve WA’s traceability

Established in December 2014

Phone and email support to producers, agents, other stakeholders

One stop shop for sheep identification and NLIS questions

sheep.nlis@agric.wa.gov.au 08 9363 4150

NLIS for sheep was introduced nationally in 2010Better traceability for disease outbreaksBetter traceability for food safety (residue detection)Better biosecurity outcomes

For each movement in the supply chain e.g. farm to saleyard, farm to agistment

Record of movement is uploaded into the NLIS database as a mob based movement

average of 15000 sheep movements in WA daily

Three (3) steps to sheep traceability

Identification

Movement

Recording of movements on NLIS database

NLIS database – responsibilities?

• Private sales-

New owner to ensure movement is recorded on database (even if agent involved)

• Saleyards

Saleyard/agent to record movements from vendor PIC to saleyard to buyer PIC

• Movements between an owner’s own PICs –

Owner must ensure its is done.

NLIS database

• Administered by NLIS Ltd, part of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA)

• Utilised by the sheep, goat and cattle industry to comply with each states’ legislation and regulations

NLIS database – How?

• Requires an NLIS database account.

• Accounts for producer, agent, saleyard etc

www.nlis.mla.com.au

• Ask your agent

• Ask a third party e.g. telecentre

Sheep – NLIS database

• All movements of mobs of sheep between different PICs must be recorded on the NLIS database.

• within 48 hours of arrival