NLIS for Cattle

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) provides a permanent, lifetime identification system that enables individual animals to be tracked from property of birth to slaughter, for food safety, product integrity and market access purposes.

Cattle within the system are uniquely identified with NLIS-approved devices, either an ear tag or rumen bolus/ear tag combination. Each device contains a microchip that allows it to be read electronically by scanners installed at saleyards, abattoirs and farms.

Once cattle are read, the data containing details of the property of origin and new property of residence is transferred to the NLIS database over the Internet, creating a traceable record of where animals have been. It is a requirement to update the NLIS database of any livestock movements.

Current requirements

All cattle leaving a property must be NLIS identified.
All cattle movements are to be recorded on the NLIS database. This means that property to property movements will have to be recorded on the NLIS Database. This is the responsibility of the receiver of the cattle. Saleyards and abattoirs transfer cattle they receive. See Transferring Cattle.

NLIS is underpinned by State legislation. Failure to use NLIS devices correctly can result in penalties of up to $15,700 for an individual and $31,400 for a company. Please read the Conditions of Use for Permanent Identification Devices for Cattle.

For further information see the national NLIS website.

Unsafe cattle

Producers who are unable to tag their cattle in a safe manner, must obtain a permit prior to dispatching cattle without NLIS identification. Please use the permit application below:

Application and Permit to Dispatch Cattle without NLIS Tags (PDF 370Kb)