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What’s Happening With Nlis In 2005?

By Department of Primary Industries - 30th November 2004 - Back to News

From 1^st January 2005, all cattle must be NLIS tagged before leaving their property of birth. This includes culled cows, but bobby calves for immediate slaughter are still exempt. Bobby calves identified with a bobby calf ear tag can be sold and purchased only for immediate slaughter. However, bobby calves that are purchased for rearing purposes must be NLIS tagged before being sold (at on-property private sales or saleyards).

Also in 2005, a permit system will be introduced to allow cattle from properties with inadequate facilities to be transported to a location with suitable cattle yards where they can be identified with NLIS devices (eg the local saleyards). When a permit is issued for this purpose, orange Post Breeder tags assigned for use at that saleyard must be used.

NLIS devices must never be attached to cattle on any property other than the property they are assigned for. The cattle must also be identified by the relevant tail tag applied and be accompanied by a correctly completed National Vendor Declaration (NVD). The permit system will also be used to exempt dangerous cattle from NLIS identification providing they go direct to abattoirs, are identified by the relevant tail-tag and are accompanied by a correctly completed NVD.

From 1 July 2005, all cattle transactions, including property to property, must be recorded on the NLIS database. Producers receiving NLIS identified cattle directly from another property will need to register the movement on the database. Options for notifying the database for producers receiving cattle directly from another property include:

• buying a reader, scanning the cattle and reporting the movement to the database via the Internet,
• reading the NLIS numbers on devices and faxing or mailing the details to the database,
• engaging a livestock transporter, agent or dairy herd improvement centre to scan the cattle and report the transaction.

This is also likely to be the date when transaction tags (tail tags, adult ear tags) will no longer be required for cattle identified with an NLIS device and accompanied by a correctly completed NVD listing the property of dispatch.

Start thinking about your options now and if you have any further enquires please contact your local DPI office or the DPI tag hotline during business hours on 1800 678 779.

HARVESTING WEEDS

The approach to harvest is the time for producers to think about the risk of spreading weeds during these activities.

It is a general unwritten rule within the farming community that you don’t sell or move your weed problem to an innocent and unsuspecting buyer.

Sadly this is not always the case and often the spread of weeds in this manner has burdened individuals and communities with significant costs in weed control and lost production.

Under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 it is an offence for a person to move hay, grain or livestock onto a road without taking reasonable precautions to ensure that the vehicle carrying the load is free from any part of a noxious weed that is capable of growing. It is also an offence to sell fodder, grain or agricultural machinery containing noxious weeds as well as depositing noxious weeds on land.

Paterson’s Curse, African Lovegrass and Ragwort are three of the noxious weeds that farmers should keep an eye out for over the harvest season.

Department of Primary Industries staff can issue Directions under the Catchment and Land Protection Act to restrict landowners moving and or selling crops or fodder containing noxious weeds such as Paterson’s curse. If a person fails to comply with a Direction then they risk prosecution and fines.

Rather than risk losing the ability to sell or move valuable crops and fodder it is advisable for producers to ensure that noxious weeds are managed through the season to avoid contamination of produce at harvest.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com