Bought a new property? Here are your integrity requirements

When you purchase a new property for producing livestock, there are several things you must do to ensure you are meeting your integrity system requirements. 

Meeting your requirements under the red meat integrity system’s two key programs, Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) and the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS), is essential to maintaining the strength of the integrity system. This system underpins our livestock selling system and gives confidence to buyers, retailers and consumers by ensuring Australian red meat is safe to eat and fully traceable. 

If you’re a new producer, access this guide for new red meat producers to learn what your obligations are under the Australian red meat industry’s integrity system. Or, read on to find out what you need to do to ensure you can meet your integrity requirements and stand by what you sell on your new property. 

Got more than one property?  

In some states, if you own other properties which have separate PICs, you can amalgamate these separate PICs into a single PIC.  You can then have one LPA accreditation, one LPA account and one NLIS account for all your properties under this PIC. This is usually allowed if the properties are close by and are managed as a single business. Check the requirements for your state or territory for managing PICs to see if this is possible for your business, as it may be advantageous for farm management.  

Do I need LPA accreditation for my new property? 

Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) is the Australian red meat industry’s on-farm assurance program covering food safety, animal welfare and biosecurity. LPA-accredited producers commit to carrying out specific on-farm practices to meet the program’s seven requirements. Meeting your LPA requirements ensures producers are producing safe red meat on-farm and can provide the evidence to demonstrate this. More about LPA.  

LPA accreditation is not mandatory but it is recommended as producers who are not LPA-accredited or who are withdrawn from the program cannot buy or use LPA National Vendor Declarations (NVDs). LPA NVDs are only used by LPA-accredited producers which the majority of processors who export product need to source livestock from as a trade requirement.

LPA accreditation is attached to a property identification code (PIC) and a person. This means that a property owner needs to have a separate LPA accreditation for each PIC they own. PICs are issued by state and territory departments to identify parcels of land used for agricultural purposes.  

How to get LPA-accredited  

To get your new property LPA-accredited, follow these steps.   

NLIS: what do I need to do when I buy a new property? 

The National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is Australia’s system for the identification and traceability of sheep cattle and goats. All animals must be identified with an accredited NLIS tag or device from their PIC of birth. As animals are bought, sold and moved along the supply chain, each movement is recorded centrally on the NLIS database as a livestock transfer. 

All red meat producers can have a NLIS account and must ensure all livestock transfers onto their PIC have been completed in their account. Ensuring all livestock movements have been recorded in the NLIS database is vital to maintaining the traceability of livestock to ensure continued market access – as well as the biosecurity and food safety – of Australian red meat.  

Once the purchase of your property has been completed, contact your state or territory authority to confirm that you are now the registered owner of the property on the PIC register.  Once this is confirmed you can either:

• Request to have your new PIC linked to your existing NLIS account by emailing ISC Customer Service at info@integritysystems.com.au. Please provide your existing NLIS User ID and the new PIC number to be linked.
• If you don't have an NLIS account, register to have one created for your new PIC.

Once your new PIC has been added to your NLIS account, sign in and check that all livestock moved onto your new property are registered to this PIC in the NLIS database. When you move livestock onto your new property, you are responsible for ensuring the transfer has been completed. More information about completing livestock transfers in the NLIS.