NLIS Glossary

This refers to cattle that are on your property, but were not born there. Brought on cattle are sometimes referred to as ‘introduced’ cattle.

An NLIS approved device can be in the form of an electronic ear tag or rumen bolus/visual ear tag combination. Devices are used to identify and track livestock and can be read electronically by an approved reader.

NLIS approved ear tags have a unique number including the Property Identification Code (PIC) and are fitted with a microchip allowing them to be read by electronic readers. Ear tags come in two colours signifying when they should be used:

• White breeder tags – use these for livestock you have bred and that are still on your property.
• Orange post-breeder tags – use these for livestock you have purchased and that are not already identified with an NLIS device.

European Union. In 1999, the European Union (EU) became the first significant market for Australia to impose a 'lifetime traceable' requirement. The NLIS is a national database designed to track livestock from birth to slaughter, thereby allowing qualifying producers access to EU markets. The term ‘EU status’ is used in the NLIS database to specify which devices (cattle) or properties meet the eligibility criteria for supplying the EU. The EU status is either ‘Yes’ if eligible or ‘No’ if not eligible.

‘Irregular status’ refers to a device that has become corrupted due to one of the following factors:

• It has been lost
• It has been damaged
• It is on a beast registered as stolen
• It is on a beast that has lost lifetime traceability

An approved NLIS device has two numbers associated with it:

The NLIS number (visual number) is printed on the electronic ear tag or on the management ear tag matching an NLIS rumen bolus. The NLIS ID indicates the property where the animal was identified and whether that was the property of birth or not. It also identifies the manufacturer of the device, the year of manufacture, whether it is an electronic ear tag or rumen bolus, and an individual animal identification number.

The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) number is also referred to as the electronic number and is the number scanned by a reader.

These two numbers are unique for each device and are linked in the NLIS database.

National Livestock Identification System Ltd manages the NLIS Database and operates the NLIS Database Helpdesk.

NLIS is Australia’s system for the identification and tracing of livestock. It is a permanent, whole of life identification system that enables individual animals to be tracked from property of birth to slaughter for food safety, product integrity and market access purposes. NLIS provides the facility for livestock movements to be logged in a secure central database. It also provides other benefits such as allowing carcase feedback from abattoirs to be viewed by producers.

The NVD is a voluntary food safety declaration completed by the person responsible for the husbandry of the stock.

A Property Identification Code (PIC) is a unique number identifying your property. It is issued by the State Department. This is the same number as your tail tag number. The PIC is related to an individual property and the number can not be used on other properties you are associated with unless they are amalgamated under the one PIC.

An approved NLIS device has two numbers associated with it:

The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) number is also referred to as the electronic number and is the number scanned by a reader.

The NLIS number (visual number) is printed on the electronic ear tag or on the management ear tag matching an NLIS rumen bolus. The NLIS ID indicates the property where the animal was identified and whether that was the property of birth or not. It also identifies the manufacturer of the device, the year of manufacture, whether it is an electronic ear tag or rumen bolus, and an individual animal identification number.

These two numbers are unique for each device and are linked in the NLIS database.

A rumen bolus is used as an alternative to NLIS ear tags for identifying cattle. An NLIS rumen bolus is a capsule that is inserted into the animal from three months of age.

After application, the bolus comes to rest in the reticulum for the life of the animal. The bolus contains an electronic transponder that can be read electronically, and is issued with a matching non-electronic ear tag for manual reading and/or visual confirmation that bolus has been installed.

The term ‘tag’ as used in the NLIS database refers to an NLIS approved beast identification device, being either an electronic ear tag or rumen bolus/visual ear tag combination.

This refers to the process of transferring a file from your computer to the Internet (in this case, to the NLIS Database).

A waybill or Travelling Stock Statement (TSS) must accompany livestock movements in most States. It relates to ownership and description of the livestock as well as their source and destination. In some cases, the NVD and waybill may be combined into one document.