NLIS is Australia's system for livestock identification and traceability. It is a permanent whole-of-life system that allows individual animals to be identified electronically and tracked from property of birth to slaughter, for food safety, product integrity and market access purposes.
NLIS uses machine-readable Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices to identify cattle. NLIS approved devices come in the form of an ear tag or rumen bolus/ear tag combination. Cattle are tagged with NLIS devices only once in their life unless the device becomes detached. In that case, if the orginal number is known, the replacement should be recorded and linked on the NLIS database, to maintain 'lifetime traceability'.
NLIS devices may be provisionally or fully accredited. If a device is provisionally accredited, the NLIS Standards Committee is satisfied that it is demonstrating compliance with the system's performance requirements (for criteria such as retention and readability), but the device has not yet completed a three year field trial.
Cattle identified with NLIS devices can be read electronically as they move through the livestock chain. At time of reading, each owner’s PIC can be recorded and linked to the NLIS device. This transaction information is then stored in the secure central NLIS database.
A life record of an animal’s residency and all animals it has interacted with is established. It is this centrally-stored electronic history of an individual animal’s residency that enables rapid and accurate traceability.
For further information visit www.mla.com.au.
