History of livestock identification and traceability
In the 1960s Australia introduced a cattle-tracing system as a means to assist the bovine Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC). The system was based on a unique identification number that was aligned to each farm (parcel of land).
The tag identification number, known as the Property Identification Code (PIC), was eight digits in length, with the number accommodating a state identifier, a region prefix and an individual property number relating to that region.
All Australian states introduced legislation that underpinned the use of the PIC. The result was that the application of a tail tag or transaction ear tag became a mandatory requirement for all cattle sales and transfers of ownership.
Over time, this system became the enabling instrument for surveillance of residues of agricultural and veterinary chemicals and monitoring in addition to disease surveillance and monitoring.
The National Vendor Declaration (NVD) was introduced in 1996, which provided a food safety/product integrity consignment note attesting to the fitness-for-purpose of a given consignment of cattle.
From its inception the NVD has been linked to the consignment by the PIC. Official government requirements mean that a separate NVD and tagging system is required for some markets.
| Chronicle of Traceability | |
|---|---|
| 1960s | Vinyl wrap around tail-tag invented and trialled BTEC Committee established |
| 1966 | Tail tagging begins in NSW |
| 1969 | BTEC program begins |
| 1970 | Introduction of plastic or vinyl tail-tag |
| 1992 | Vendor declaration introduced for EU eligible cattle plus pink tail paint |
| 1994 | Pink tail and ear tags introduced to identify HGP-free cattle |
| 1996 | Principles for the operation of the NLIS (Cattle) agreed. First edition of National Vendor Declaration (NVD) introduced |
| Feb 1999 | First electronic NLIS (Cattle) tags released in Victoria |
| June 1999 | Decision to use the NLIS (Cattle) to track EU eligible cattle throughout Australia |
| 2002 | Cattle born in Victoria had to be NLIS identified |
| 2004 | National agreement on tracing performance standards, and commitment by all States to fully implement the NLIS (Cattle) |
| 2006 | NLIS (Sheep and Goats) implemented using visually readable tags and paper records |
| 2007 | Electronic NLIS (Sheep) tags became available for use on a voluntary basis |
| 2008 | NLIS (Pork) implemented |
| 2008 | NLIS (Alpaca & Llama) development began |
| 2009 | NLIS (Sheep and Goats) mandatory tag for all stock leaving property of birth |
PIMC agreed in April 2003 to the implementation of a risk-based approach to a national system for livestock identification and tracing. The proposed national system included the use of a range of identification devices based on the complexity of animal movements.
Page updated: 12 October 2009