Build underway for Australia’s next-generation livestock traceability database
The build of NLIS 2.0 is well underway.
Designed to strengthen Australia’s world-leading red met traceability system, the project will enhance the database, backend capability and user experience to deliver a fit-for-purpose platform.
Independent experts have reviewed the design, our build teams are in place and across the detail, and we have tested the delivery.
Integrity Systems is now working through delivering a modernised database that will carry Australia’s red meat traceability for decades to come. Go-live is targeted for late 2027.
Where we are now
The planning and design phase is complete. The approach to building the database has been signed off, the data migration path is being tested, the 25 year old data is being reviewed for migration quality and the teams are making good progress.
For more than 25 years, NLIS has underpinned the Australian red meat industry’s global reputation for traceability, biosecurity and market access. NLIS 2.0 represents the first major upgrade since the system’s inception.
Our commitment is to delivering a sophisticated system that reflects the real-world complexity of Australia’s livestock supply chain, and which will ensure Australia remains at the forefront of livestock traceability for decades to come.
Prioritising getting it right
Specialists in technology and major project delivery have been recruited into Integrity Systems to oversee the build from the inside.
Every requirement for the new system has been reviewed, challenged and rewritten where needed so it is clear, practical, and delivers what is needed for traceability.
AWS, an independent cloud technology provider, have reviewed and validated the system design before the build commenced.
The vendor was required to prove the design works by running three real-world scenarios: issuing devices, recording movements, and tracking traceability. All three passed on time and met the success requirements.
Three real-world tests, three passes
Before committing to the full build, the vendor was asked to deliver a steel thread. This involves running key tasks in a small working part of the system from start to finish, confirming the new design works and is easy to use for everyone in the supply chain before the full system is built.
All three test scenarios were completed successfully:
- Bulk device issue. A device manufacturer uploaded a CSV of 50,000 new devices, a mix of breeder and post-breeder devices across sheep, goat and cattle, to be issued to a specific PIC.
- Property-to-property movement. A producer manually recorded a P2P movement of 1,000 cattle through the NLIS web application.
- Lifetime traceability loss. A producer recorded a movement of 50 cattle from another property, but the NLIS Database showed the devices were at a third property. The system correctly applied a lifetime traceability loss (LT) to all 50 head.
The groundwork is done. Approach endorsed, and the build is underway.
The build approach
Every domain is built and proven on its own, then layered onto the ones below until the modules come together as one complete NLIS 2.0 system. All the data from the current NLIS will be transferred into NLIS 2.0, with 25 years of data being reviewed and reconciled to a consistent format for migration.
One complete NLIS 2.0 system
A first look at the user experience
A core promise of NLIS 2.0 is a simpler, more intuitive experience for the people who use the system every day. The views below are illustrative concepts of the kind of workflows the platform will support. Final designs will be shared through platform previews as each domain is built.
Timeline to go-live
55 WEEKS
Domain build
Squads working in parallel to deliver each domain, with system integration testing wrapped into the schedule.
From August 2027
Systems integration testing
Confirming the domains work together as a single, complete system.
170 USERS
User validation
Supply chain users check the system works as expected before go-live.
LATE 2027
Go-live target
Following thorough user testing, targeted go-live is scheduled for late 2027
Supporting the transition
Integrity Systems will provide practical training and support to help supply chain users move to NLIS 2.0. Training will be built around the needs of different participants rather than one-size-fits-all, delivered through webinars, train-the-trainer workshops, in-person sessions and self-paced materials.
End-user support will continue through the Integrity Systems customer service team after launch.
NLIS 1.0 continues to do its job
NLIS 1.0 is performing well and will continue to serve the industry until NLIS 2.0 goes live. The current database was upgraded for speed and capacity several years ago, and it is already processing sheep and goat eID devices and transactions at scale. Currently there are more than 70 million sheep and goat eID devices in the database. Sheep and goat eID does not depend on NLIS 2.0 to support being mandatory from 1 January 2027.
90M+
Head of livestock movements recorded last year
70M+
New sheep and goat eIDs uploaded from tag manufacturers since January 2024
$22.5M
Australian Government grant funding the NLIS 2.0 program
See NLIS 2.0 take shape
As the build progresses, Integrity Systems will share new features, designs and views of the platform as they become available. Regular development updates will be published on the Integrity Systems website and through other channels, and walkthroughs will be made available to key industry stakeholders as each domain is built.