The Northern Tablelands Local Land Services is reminding farmers that it is their responsibility to ensure National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) identification is in place on livestock.
Biosecurity support officer Amy Sheridan said: “A nationwide outbreak of an exotic disease in Australia could decimate the agricultural industry, cost the economy billions of dollars and completely change our way of life.”
In Queensland properties must be registered with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries if it has one or more head of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, buffalo, deer, camelids or 100 or more poultry including caged birds.
Registration provides places with a property identification code, which is needed in tracking movements between locations.
Farmers must ensure livestock leaving or moving from a property to an abattoir, sale yard or to another property have an approved NLIS device.
NLIS tags for cattle come in two types – breeder and post breeder tags.
Breeder tags are white and are used when the cattle are tagged on the property when they are born.
Post breeder tags are orange and are used when the original NLIS tag is lost after purchase.
