National Livestock Identification System
What is NLIS?
NLIS is Australia's system for the identification and tracing of livestock. It brings together three very simple concepts:
- identification of a physical location for the animal/s (this is known as the property identification code (PIC))
- an animal identifier (a visual or electronic tag or brand (known as a device))
- a method of correlation and storage (a web accessible database).
The NLIS is a permanent lifetime traceability system designed to record device and PIC statuses, enable device and corresponding stock movements to be tracked, for the purposes of disease control, biosecurity, food safety, product integrity, market access and other industry related purposes. Identification of stock can be either individual or mob based depending on what is agreed by each industry sector.
Why is NLIS important?
Livestock traceability is an important issue for the purposes of disease control, product integrity issues and market access.
Disease response
The speedy tracing of animals plays a significant part in any emergency disease response. The faster animals are traced the greater the chances of controlling the disease outbreak and minimising the costly effects on the affected industry and its supporting sectors. It also means that having an effective tracing system in place minimises the number of properties that may be affected due to possible stock movements.
Chemical contamination
Chemical contamination is a more frequent problem than disease outbreaks in the livestock industry. Australia's export markets do not accept livestock products that have violative levels of chemical residues. The tracing of cohort animals is an important part of minimising the effects of such violations and ensuring these violations are not repeated.
Market access
Australia's export markets for livestock and livestock products are particularly sensitive to disease control measures and the effects of livestock disease outbreaks and chemical contamination incidents. The livestock producer and related industries all benefit greatly from Australia's favourable animal-health status in comparison to that experienced by some other countries. The good international reputation of Australian exports is driven both by the absence of diseases and contaminants in Australian export animals and animal products and the disease control measures in place to prevent and contain any outbreak. Loss of market access is an inevitable impact of poor disease and chemical contamination control.
It is important to note that a number of Australia's export markets require or are moving towards requiring mandatory identification and traceability of Australian products from property of birth through to the consumer. Identification and traceability is becoming a market access issue. Some individual importers of Australian livestock products are now demanding lifetime traceability, which is not possible to deliver without NLIS.
Reputation
Less tangible benefits of disease and chemical contamination control measures have on the international perception of Australia's livestock products, such as marketability and price, are also essential to the existence and success of these markets. An effective and recognised traceability system is more than an insurance policy in the event of a disease outbreak. It provides a competitive advantage over other producing nations with less comprehensive systems and enhances quality assurance and therefore the reputation of the Australian livestock industries. The cost to the export market of a loss of reputation and confidence caused by a livestock disease outbreak or chemical contamination incident, or by a lack of an effective tracing system, although difficult to quantify, would be great and far reaching into the future.
International arrangements
Recent livestock disease incidents around the world have caused Australia's major customers and competitors to look more closely at improved traceability systems.
International developments include:
- Canada has implemented a mandatory individual ID and has adopted permanent Radio Frequency Identification tags effective 1 January 2005.
- Uruguay has had an individual traceability system for exports to EU since 2001. Uruguay has decided to trial an "improved" system. It involves double tagging of cattle (a visual tag and an electronic tag), and recording of movements on a central database.
- The EU already has an individual animal passport system.
- Japan has individual ID through the supply chain.
- The US is currently considering a full individual animal ID proposal. A new draft of the USA Animal Identification Plan has been released with the objective of "48-hour" traceback.
- New Zealand is in the process of implementing an electronic identification system for their livestock industries.
- Brazil has an individual animal scheme for the EU.
International standards
The OIE has set guidelines for the design and implementation of traceability and identification systems. These are set out in the Terrestrial Animal Heath Code (Chapters 4.1 and 4.2). These guidelines have been agreed to by all members of the OIE and as such should be met as they form a minimum set of standards for members to operate by.
Market demand
In the late 1990s the European Union demanded a 'closed system' for HGP- free cattle destined to that market and that the animals be whole-of-life traceable. The Australian Quarantine Inspection Service developed the European Union Accreditation Scheme to accommodate the EU demands. Details can be found at the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry web site. An exclusive EU NVD linked to lime-green tags was developed.
Radio frequency (RF) tag technology was introduced as the mechanism to comply with the whole-of-life identification demands of the EU. The program designed to satisfy the Europeans was called the National Livestock Identification System.
The NLIS (Cattle) system that had been introduced on a voluntary basis in Victoria was adopted as the method for tracking cattle throughout Australia for EU market access purposes.
What is AHA's involvement?
Animal Health Australia's position in relation to animal identification and traceability is related to ensuring the National Traceability Performance Standards are met. In stating this position, Animal Health Australia engages stakeholders in Australia's livestock industries in addressing the need for these schemes to meet the national animal health objectives.
Click to view the
NLIS Policy Paper - March 2009 (163 KB)
Page updated 12 October 2009