From 1 January 2025 all sheep and farmed goats born on or after this date must be fitted with an approved NLIS electronic identification (eID) device before leaving their property of birth.
Visual tags will no longer be accepted to identify sheep and farmed goats born after 1 January 2025.
The eID devices must be approved by the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) so that stock can be individually identified and traced through the NLIS database.
Having Australia’s livestock individually electronically identified will enable fast tracking in the event of an emergency disease outbreak or food safety issue.
Sheep and Goat eIDs explained
National Implementation Plan
The move to mandatory eID comes after federal and state agriculture ministers agreed in September 2022 to implement a nationally consistent eID system for sheep and goats to preserve biosecurity and enhance export trade for Australia’s livestock industry.
You can find out more about your states implementational plan by visiting the National Implementation Plan.
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The benefits of eID
Moving from visual tags to eID for sheep and goats offers a range of benefits including:
- Strengthened biosecurity and traceability
- Market access
- Potential for animal specific carcase feedback
- Enables an efficient, effective and targeted response to disease outbreak.
Sheep and goat eID is an opportunity for producers to enhance their business practices and market outcomes.
Improving Sheep and Goat Traceability and Performance with eIDs
Follow these steps to meet the requirements of sheep and goat eID:
Step 1:
Make sure you have a Property Identification Code (PIC)
Contact your state or territory department to organise a PIC or check that your property’s PIC is in your name.
Step 2:
Order NLIS approved eID devices
All sheep and goats born after 1 January 2025 must be tagged with an eID device before moving off your property, unless you have an exemption from your state government.
Choosing the correct device for your animal
Step 3:
Set up a myMLA account and link your accounts
myMLA is your gateway to a range of MLA and ISC products and services. It provides single sign-on access to your NLIS, LPA, NVD, myFeedback, MSA and Sheep Genetics accounts.
Step 4:
Set up your NLIS account
The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is Australia’s traceability system for cattle, sheep and goats. Receivers are responsible for updating the NLIS when stock are moved onto their property. Link your NLIS account to your myMLA account.
Step 5:
Become Livestock Production Assurance "LPA" accredited
LPA provides assurance for biosecurity, animal welfare and food safety and underpins Australia’s access to export markets. Accreditation ensures your livestock can be sent for processing or to an abattoir. Link your LPA account to your myMLA account.
Step 6:
Complete a movement document when stock are moved
LPA-accredited producers can access the free eNVD web-based system or mobile app. Non-accredited producers can use a waybill.
Step 7:
If you are receiving stock, record the movement on the NLIS
Receivers are responsible for recording stock transfers on the NLIS and ensuring all records are up to date. This must be completed within 48 hours of stock coming ONTO your PIC, even if the stock came from another PIC you own. This is done in your NLIS account.
Step 8:
Check that livestock moved OFF your PIC have been completed by the receiver
If you have moved animals off your property but this transfer hasn’t been recorded in the NLIS database, the system will generate a system warning for your account when any future transfers are conducted using the new owner’s PIC.
Step 9:
Do a PIC reconciliation annually
Check the NLIS database to ensure it is an accurate record of NLIS devices and livestock on your property.
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Tagging goats harvested from a wild state can be a danger to both humans and goats. This is why an additional voluntary accreditation through the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program has been developed to enable a tag-free pathway for harvested rangeland goats (HRG).
LPA HRG accreditation allows HRGs to be moved direct to slaughter or via one registered goat depot without an eID. It also allows HRGs to be recorded as a mob-based movement in the NLIS database.
If you're moving sheep or goats with a combination of eID and visual tags, you can include both sets in a single transfer on the NLIS. Follow these steps:
- Enter the livestock you need to move: Enter the RFID numbers (read with a wand) or the NLIS IDs (visually printed on the tag). You can also use a combination of the two, but please ensure you only use one of the numbers for each animal, not both.
- Number of head: Enter the total number of livestock being moved, including the visually tagged stock. This headcount may exceed the number of tag numbers entered, as only animals born on or after 1 January 2025 are required to have an eID.
Yes, if you are LPA accredited, you need to fill out an NVD for every movement of livestock between different PICs. This movement must then be recorded in the NLIS database. If you are not LPA accredited, you need to use a waybill.
Scan the livestock you wish to transfer with a tag reader. Download the scan file from the reader. Login to your NLIS account. Select from the menu that you want to transfer livestock onto your property. Input species and the PIC they are coming from. Upload the scan file from the reader. Add in movement dates and NVD serial number and click confirm.
If you do not have a reader, you can write down the NLIS ID number printed on the exterior of the tag and type the numbers into the tag field instead of uploading a file.
This guide also explains the process: NLIS how-to Move livestock onto / off a PIC – file upload
When you purchase tags, these are automatically uploaded to the NLIS database against your PIC. You just need to tag the animal before leaving the PIC of birth.
Yes, the tag manufacturer/supplier will upload the tags to the NLIS database.
You can continue to use your current supply of sheep electronic identification (eID) tags in 2025 and beyond as long as they are NLIS approved. If the tags are not NLIS approved, you will need to purchase NLIS approved eID tags to ensure you comply with the regulations from 1 January 2025. You can check the accreditation status of your current supply of eID tags by looking for the NLIS logo printed on the ear tag.