National Vendor Declaration

National Vendor Declaration (NVD)

25 July 2023

The Livestock Production Assurance NVD communicates the food safety and treatment status of every animal every time it moves between properties, to saleyards or processors. NVDs are a legal document that are key to Australian red meat traceability and market access, and act as movement documentation throughout the value chain. 

You must be LPA accredited to access LPA NVDs. When you tick the boxes and sign your LPA NVD, you are declaring your on-farm practices meet LPA requirements, and ultimately customer expectations.

Your declaration must be backed up by accurate farm records. This is your pledge that the meat from your farm has been produced safely, ethically and meets biosecurity requirements – it means you stand by what you sell.

The eNVD web-based system and eNVD mobile app are available for LPA accredited producers, feedlots and value chain stakeholders to use. Digital consignments are fast, easy and more accurate than paper forms, delivering time and efficiency savings.

 

 

Jenny's switch to digital

 

"We have three entities within our business, compiling and completing our stock movements is my responsibility and the only time I rely on paper NVDs is in emergencies, and even then, that’s a rare occasion."

 

NSW sheep producer, Jenny Bradley, takes pride in the health and quality of her flock, with her accreditations and performance records covering Meat Standards Australia for her lamb sales and LAMBPLAN to support her seedstock rams.

 

"The business is also MSA-accredited, and the eNVDs just make it so easy. You can pre-populate all your information on the templates, for those repeat loads. Additionally, keeping track of records can be difficult with books and paper, so it really helps keep everything up-to-date and in the one spot."

 

"It’s easy, it’s efficient, and there’s nothing that would make me go back to paper permanently,” Jenny said.

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NVD FAQs

The LPA NVD is a food safety document that includes questions regarding livestock management practices and livestock history.

As a signed declaration that accompanies livestock along the supply chain, NVDs provide assurance from the producer through to the processor that the meat will be safe to eat and is ethically produced.

The current version of the LPA NVD is ‘0720’.

Download sample versions and tips to ensure your NVDs are clear, correct and complete.

Producers can use the eNVD or the paper LPA NVD version at any time.

Current paper versions of NVDs for all species, identified by version number 0720 are the only versions accepted under LPA for livestock consignments.

eNVD FAQs

The LPA electronic National Vendor Declaration (eNVD) system is a faster, easier way to complete livestock consignments. An LPA eNVD is the digital alternative to paper-based NVDs. The eNVD system is not just a place to fill out a NVD – it is a system for completing all consignment paperwork digitally including livestock assurance and health declarations.

The following forms are available using the eNVD:

  • Livestock Production Assurance National Vendor Declaration (LPA NVD) for cattle, EU cattle, sheep and lamb, goats and bobby calves
  • Meat Standards Australia (MSA) declaration
  • National health declaration (cattle, sheep and goat)
  • National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme (EU, delivery docket, form B).

When you select to create a new consignment within the eNVD system, you will be prompted to select the forms that you would like to include as part of your consignment. The forms that are visible to you are based on your accreditation.

Learn more about the eNVD web-based system and eNVD mobile app.

Increasingly, producers are using eNVD because it is:

  • Faster, easier and more accurate than a paper NVD due to field validation, strengthening traceability and market access.
  • Ensure the latest versions of vendor declarations are being used and so meet market requirements.
  • Reduce time and duplication spent completing livestock assurance and health declarations.
  • Reduce the cost of storing and retrieving historical NVDs for auditing, reporting and administrative purposes.
  • Saves the industry time and money because it is instantly available online. Producers do not need to wait for new NVD books to arrive.
  • Store all consignments in the one place where they are instantly available online, enabling stakeholders (including receivers) to log in and view eNVDs.
  • Real-time acknowledgement of where livestock movements are taking place. In the event of a livestock standstill, regulators can use this information to find contaminated livestock faster, as well as understand the impact on other livestock in the area.

Login via myMLA and access eNVD within your linked LPA account/s.

Learn how to link your myMLA and create an eNVD here.

Draft consignments can be created up to 28 days in advance of the actual consignment taking place. However, the LPA NVD requires the actual date of the consignment so this must be correct for every NVD whether it is an eNVD or hard copy. You can update the number of head in the consignment after you have submitted it. This provides flexibility in the event of an inaccurate count or an unforeseeable incident occurring.

You do not have to print a copy of the eNVD if you have completed the form in its entirety and the receiver and transporter are aware you are using the eNVD.

Alternatively you can email the completed eNVD to a receiver eg. agent, saleyard, processor or feedlot.

Some producers fill out as much of the eNVD as they can in the office then print it so they can fill in the remaining details at their yards where they may not have connectivity. If this is required, three copies are required to be printed – one each for the seller, transporter and receiver – and then the online eNVD must be updated to reflect the hard copy.

In New South Wales, transporters are required to carry a copy of the consignment where they can see the signatures. This does not mean it needs to be printed, because a signature can be seen on a PDF on a mobile device.

However, if transporters are not comfortable or in some cases, unable to give roadside legislators a mobile device to view the signatures, then having a printed copy of the eNVD might be more convenient.

All other states accept the consignment or NVD serial number roadside from the transporter.

Any part of the consignment in an eNVD can be edited if it is still a draft. Once you’ve submitted the consignment, you can still update the movement date, livestock descriptionnumber and transporter details up to 48 hours after the entered movement date using the ‘update consignment’ feature.

You can delete a consignment when it is in draft or submitted status – however, it changes to ‘completed’ 48 hours after the movement date and then it cannot be deleted. 

If you make an error in the eNVD with the destination address and you still have access to the digital copy, the best option is to duplicate the consignment in draft form and then amend the details before  deleting  the original . This means you do not have to spend all the time re-answering the questions, you can just update the one area you need to use in the PIC search or type in the details manually in eNVD.

For any of these scenarios, if you need to make amendments on the paper version of a printed eNVD, this should be done in the same way as a regular hardcopy – make the change then put your signature against that correction.

If you finish an eNVD offline, then you can update it later online. ISC advises that you do this to ensure your records are up-to-date and in one place.

 

To pass the consignment information onto the receiver – also called the consignee – a destination PIC is needed for the eNVD system to know where the consignment is going.

For example, to find the PIC of a saleyard, use the PIC search within the eNVD program, or the PIC register search within the NLIS database. Alternately, call or email the saleyard to ask for the PIC. When a consignment has been created once, recent locations will be shown in the eNVD and you can save the consignment as a template if it is a frequent movement.

The eNVD must be first signed by the producer. This is because it is a declaration and guarantees that you have met the LPA requirements on your property and that the NVD is complete and correct. LPA NVDs are a legal document and are part of your LPA record keeping, and so can be audited.

Secondly, Part B of the eNVD must be completed by the livestock transporter. The transporter can fill it out on a mobile device or on the printed eNVD. If you or the transporter are not comfortable signing on a mobile device, then you would print the eNVD and have the transporter fill in Part B on the hard copy.

If the eNVD is not complete and you need to provide it to the receiver, then it will need to be printed, completed and signed by hand. The transporter will need to sign it and that completed paper copy kept for the journey. Some state jurisdictions have a requirement for a signed physical copy whereas other states only require the unique reference number. Make sure you know what the requirement is for your state.

If you cannot complete an eNVD in its entirety and you do have to print and complete it, don’t forget to update the electronic version later.

ISC has an eNVD how-to guide which outlines the steps in completing an eNVD. Otherwise, for more information or assistance contact ISC Customer Service on 1800 683 111.

ISC is constantly reviewing and upgrading features of the eNVD to make it even more user friendly. In addition, users can provide suggestions and feedback on using the eNVD by emailing envd@integritysystems.com.au.

Feature updates currently under investigation include:

  • Improvements to input of digital signatures.
  • Offline access for regions with internet connectivity issues, such as a native mobile app, Bluetooth transfer of information or SMS at certain points where the NVD is being transferred to the next party.
  • A paperless eNVD so no printing is required for completion.
  • Improving the eNVD PIC search, which includes working with state agriculture departments.

Producers should communicate with their transporter and see if they are comfortable carrying a digital eNVD copy – this is a full copy of the consignment forms in PDF or similar – on their mobile device or in their truck. If not, then the best option is to print the eNVD and give them a printed copy to carry with them.

You also need to consider the people receiving it and whether they are set up to receive a digital copy. For example, if you are sending your livestock to an abattoir, you must be sure they are ready to receive that consignment electronically.

The eNVD needs to be completed by the driver before the transport begins and so if there is no connectivity at the yards, a printed copy will need to be used to capture the driver’s signature. The eNVD system allows producers to fill in as many details as they can in advance and then print/submit with the transporter section (Part B) left blank ready to be completed at the yards.

Digital eNVDs you create or receive are acceptable as a historical reference document when being audited so long as they are correct, complete and signed.

If you have printed an eNVD before completing it and have not updated the digital copy, then you need to keep the completed printed version. Otherwise it is acceptable to show an auditor eNVDs on your computer or mobile device during an audit.

Login via myMLA and access eNVD via your linked LPA account.The eNVD website is mobile-friendly which means the eNVD can be filled out on a smart phone. 

Industry solution providers can be licensed by ISC to provide eNVDs from within their system. The following solution providers include eNVD in their software: 

Solution providers wanting further details should contact ISC via envd-app@integritysystems.com.au.

While ISC recommends using Google Chrome to access the eNVD, its mobile features are supported on Internet Explorer 11+, Microsoft Edge, Firefox and Safari.

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