Livestock events and the NLIS

All committees or people that host an event using livestock are identified under the Biosecurity Act 2014 as a registrable biosecurity entity and must comply with National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) requirements.

Registrable biosecurity entities must register with Biosecurity Queensland to be allocated a property identification code (PIC) for livestock traceability purposes.

NLIS tagging requirements

All cattle, buffalo, bison, sheep, goats and pigs must be identified with an NLIS device before travelling to an event.

Any untagged stock that arrives at an event must be reported to a Biosecurity Queensland inspector and be tagged with an NLIS post-breeder tag bearing the PIC of the event grounds.

NLIS tagging exemptions

Pigs and goats at events do not require an NLIS tag if they are travelling to an event (for example, goat or pig races) and there are no other goats or pigs present from another holding at the event, and the goats or pigs will return to the property of departure within 48 hours.

Contact a Biosecurity Officer for details on these exemptions by calling 13 25 23 and requesting contact.

Movement records

All livestock movements must be accompanied by a movement record from the property of origin to the event and return.

A copy of the movement record for cattle, buffalo, bison, sheep, goats and pigs must be kept by the event committee for 2 years.

Reporting to the NLIS database

It is the event committee's responsibility to report all movements of cattle, bison, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs to the NLIS database within 48 hours of the stock leaving the event.

To report to the NLIS database, committees must register for an 'event' NLIS account. To register for an 'event' account, visit the NLIS website. If you require further assistance, contact the NLIS helpdesk on 1800 654 743.

MLA tech tips (PDF, 4.5MB) are available on the NLIS database to assist event committees with the NLIS reporting requirements.

Reporting livestock movements

Livestock with an eID

The 'sighted livestock' function records the presence of an animal at an event without having to transfer the animal onto and off the source PIC. This reporting function may be used for any event where at least one of the following applies:

  • livestock are held for less than 96 hours
  • there are less than 500 head
  • all livestock that are present at the event are from the same PIC.

The following information must be reported when completing a 'sighted livestock':

  • NLIS or radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag number for each animal
  • movement record number
  • PIC of event grounds
  • date of event
  • comment the name of the event.

Only one transaction per movement record will be required when using 'sighted livestock'.

Property to property transfer

If 'sighted livestock' criteria cannot be met, a 'property to property' transfer must be used when reporting to the database.

The following information must be reported when completing a 'property to property' transfer:

  • NLIS or RFID tag number for each animal
  • movement record number
  • from the PIC of origin
  • to event PIC
  • date of event.

The return transfer is usually carried out by the event committee as a service to those who attended the event. This means 2 transactions will be required:

  • from the PIC of origin to the event PIC
  • event PIC to the PIC of origin. If the animal is not returning to the original PIC, it must be transferred to the new PIC.

Mob-based movement

Sheep and goats born prior to 1 January 2025 can be fitted with either an NLIS-approved visual device or an NLIS-approved eID device.

Sheep and goats fitted with a visual device can be reported using the 'mob-based movement' function, which can be found in the event account. A 'mob-based movement onto PIC' and a 'mob-based movement off PIC' must be completed for each mob.

The following information must be reported when completing a 'mob-based movement':

  • date of movement
  • from PIC
  • showgrounds PIC
  • number of stock
  • movement record number
  • other PICs
  • if the animals have been bred by the vendor or not.

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