NLIS tags soon to be compulsory for all sheep

Published on 17 December 2021

Horsham Rural City Council is reminding farmers of the requirement for livestock to be tagged before delivery to Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange.

From 1 January 2022, all sheep and non-exempt goats dispatched from a Victorian property, regardless of age, will need to be identified with an electronic National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) sheep ear tag.

“We’re reminding livestock producers that all livestock must be identified with a NLIS device before being moved off property and prior to delivery to the saleyards,” Co-ordinator Commercial Enterprises Paul Christopher said.

“It’s important for producers to correctly tag their sheep and lambs to maintain traceability for the lifetime of the animal.

“If an animal arrives at the saleyards without an NLIS device, saleyard staff are required to apply a saleyard post breeder device which is a cost per device to the livestock producer. That can end up being a costly exercise if a number of livestock require devices to be applied.

“We encourage livestock producers to review requirements under the NLIS to avoid incurring a fine. Agriculture Victoria can issue fines of over $400 per offence for producers or companies which fail to meet legislative requirements,” Mr Christopher said.

Further information can be found at the Agriculture Victoria website www.agriculture.vic.gov.au or the NLIS website www.nlis.com.au.